


You're Beautiful

by SilverKitsune2017



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alien/Human Relationships, Alternate Universe, Battle Scenes, F/M, Happy Ending, M/M, Possible Mpreg depending on how you view it., Sci-Fi, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2018-12-04 03:28:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 116,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11546550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverKitsune2017/pseuds/SilverKitsune2017
Summary: Sasuke was a biologist. He got called into NASA, after they had discovered alien life. He just never expected to fall in love with said alien. "You're beautiful." Naruto said, after acquiring his language by kissing him. When Naruto first saw Sasuke, he swore his hearts stopped beating briefly. He had traveled hundreds of galaxies and never seen a more beautiful creature.





	1. You're Beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This is a Yaoi Story. That means there will be at least one male x male romantic pairing (or in this case more than one). Naruto is also an alien. If either of those things bother you, you might want to turn back now. Reviews are always appreciated.
> 
> Older Work: This is one of my older stories. It's not as polished as some of my newer ones, but I had a lot of fun writing it and love the plot. So I"m going to repost it, anyway. I may eventually go back and revise it later, but the plot will remain unchanged.
> 
> Naruto's True Form Traits: The skin surrounding his eyes will be orange like in Sage Mode and eyes will be golden or blue depending on his emotional state. He will have retractable talons. His brown and white wings will have an eight foot wingspan. He also has golden scaled tail that reaches to his ankles. (Other minor traits may be added later on.)
> 
> NASA: Stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my stories on this site.

Sasuke Uchiha had never been more excited in his life. He was a biologist by trade, but NASA had called him in. Why? Because according to his brother, the organization sincerely believed they had discovered alien life!

"I really hope this isn't a hoax." Sasuke says as he walks through the halls with Itachi.

"If it's a hoax, it's a damn good one. The best I have ever seen. You aren't going to believe this." His elder brother says excitedly as they enter the top security room, which they could only get through by allowing their eyes to be scanned.

Sasuke's eyes widen as he sees otherworldly being that was currently being held in maximum security enclosure. He was stunning. The creature looked mostly humanoid in appearance.

He had golden blonde hair and gorgeous sapphire blue eyes. He had Sun kissed skin, which appeared to be naturally tanned. Sasuke estimated he was probably around 6'2 and the alien had a muscular build. He was powerful, without being too bulky. That's where the human traits ended.

"Isn't he magnificent?" Itachi asks in awe.

"Y-Yeah." Sasuke agrees and couldn't hide his stutter because they had just made the discovery that was going to change everything.

Despite his largely human experience, there was no mistaking this being for a human when you looked at him. The alien had beautiful wings with a color scheme similar to that of a bald eagle. Sasuke estimated he had a seven to eight foot wingspan. In addition, the skin around his eyes was orange. Whether that was natural or some type of "war paint" he didn't know. Sasuke also noted he had a golden scaled tail that reached to his ankles. Finally, the alien had some rather wicked looking talons on his hands and feet.

"We called you here because of your expertise when it comes to animal behavior, especially birds." Itachi says.

"Well that makes sense. He clearly does have some birdlike traits." Sasuke muses and follows Itachi to the enclosure.

The being's eyes followed their every movement. Sasuke gulps when he realizes that the glass apparently wasn't designed to keep the alien from seeing them. Maybe that was to build trust?

"We know one thing, he's definitely not blind." Sasuke whispers and Itachi nods.

Naruto watches curiously as "Itachi" approaches him. He figured that was the name of the human because other humans would say it around him a lot. The Jinchuuriki liked Itachi. Well as much as you could like anyone when you didn't understand a word they were saying, anyway. The man did have kind eyes at least.

That's when Naruto saw that Itachi wasn't alone. He had brought another human with him. That's when Naruto swore for a second his hearts stopped beating.

Yes, Naruto had two hearts. All Jinchuuriki did. That wasn't what was important though.

The blonde had traveled through hundreds of galaxies throughout his life, but he had never seen a more beautiful creature. The other human by Itachi was simply glorious to behold.

"Naruto." He says and places his hand against the glass, trying to communicate with them.

Maybe they'd understand it was his name. He didn't know. The Jinchuuriki just knew that he had to try to speak with the younger human. His species was different than humans in one key area. Unlike most humans, they recognized their Mate instinctively. Naruto knew he had just found his.

Sasuke covers his mouth in shock. The alien had just TALKED. Well that or at least had vocalized something. Whether it was supposed to be a sign of aggression, contentment, an actual word, or some combination, he didn't know, but the alien could make sounds at the very least!

"I've never seen him do that before. Sasuke, try putting your hand against the glass. Don't worry. It won't break. If he could get out, he would have done so by now." Itachi assures him.

"Right." Sasuke says and cautiously did as Itachi asked.

Naruto smiles. The glass separated them, but his Mate was trying to touch him. It was a start. Now he just needed to get him inside with him. If he could only kiss him, then he'd be able to copy his Mate's language. Things would be so much easier after that.

He knew this would be difficult. His Mate's heart was racing. He was excited, but his scent had an edge of fear to it.

That didn't make the blonde happy. But from what he had observed so far, humans were a vocal species. If Naruto could speak their language, he could put the other man's mind at ease.

"He seems…happy?" Sasuke half observes and half inquires.

"Wait here. I'm going to have Jirayia come and have a look." Itachi says and scurries off to find the head of NASA.

"Alright." Sasuke nods in agreement.

* * *

Naruto smiles. He had his attention. The blonde took the opportunity to admire the human. The blue eyed alien was almost positive his Mate was named Sasuke. So he admired "Sasuke."

His eyes were darker than a starless sky. Those were what drew Naruto to him most, he supposed. They were so mysterious and expressive at the same time. His skin was luminous like the "Moon," as humans called it. His facial features were very elegant. His hair was pitch black and two long bangs framed the sides of his face. Naruto noted it was spiked in the back. That meant Sasuke was a warrior, like him.

"Naruto." He says again, hoping that Sasuke would understand that was his name.

His eyes drifted south. His mate had a lithe muscular form. It reminded Naruto of one of the animals he had seen on this planet. He thought humans called it a leopard. Sasuke was fairly tall for a human, probably around 6 feet. He had broad shoulders and a very nicely sculpted backside, that Naruto found himself rather eager to grab. _Perfect._

"Coming! Coming!" Jiraiya says as he races back to Sasuke with Itachi.

"Jiraiya, I think that the alien may actually have a language. He keeps saying Naruto again and again. At first I wasn't sure if it was a sign of aggression, him vocalizing contentment, a word, or something else. But now, I think it might be his name." Sasuke says excitedly.

Jirayia blinks. They had discovered an alien and it was possible he might be able to communicate?! This was the greatest fantasy of every scientist at NASA! This could change everything.

Humans were apparently no longer alone in the universe. There was at least one other "intelligent" species. (Though Jirayia realized calling humans intelligent life was stretching it in some cases, he digressed.) The elderly scientist wondered if perhaps he would awaken to discover this was all just a dream.

"Hmm I see. Try saying Naruto. See if he responds." Jiraiya suggests and Sasuke nods.

"Naruto?" Sasuke says and notes the name felt rather exotic on his tongue.

Naruto looks up. He beams at his Mate. Yes! He had figured it out. Sasuke was not only stunning, but he was intelligent too!

He places his hand over Sasuke's again. He resented the glass for separating them, but it was the closest he could come to touching the other male at the moment. It would have to do.

"I really I think that he likes Sasuke. Probably thinks that Sasuke is a woman." Itachi laughs softly as he receives a dirty look for that comment.

"I'm just teasing you. You know that you take after mother and I take after father when it comes to looks." The elder Uchiha says.

Naruto watches Itachi and Sasuke closely. He wasn't sure if the other male was challenging Sasuke or not. After a few moments, he decides it seemed to be more play fighting than anything else.

"Sasuke?" Once he decides his Mate was safe, he calls out to him and gestures for the human to join him in the enclosure.

Sasuke blinks. The alien had figured out his name. This was definitely an intelligent life form. An intelligent life form that apparently wanted him to come closer. The younger Uchiha was torn between a childlike wonder at this development and concern for his safety.

"It's your decision. I have guards on the floor above with tranquilizers that we know are capable of subduing him if he attacks you. I will not hold it against you, if you don't want to go inside with him." Jiraiya counsels Sasuke.

"Well no great scientific discovery was ever made without some risk. Alright. I'll do it. And for the love of God, make sure they are ready to fire in the worst case scenario. I mean he seems friendly now, but we have no idea how quickly that can change." Sasuke mutters as he cautiously enters the enclosure.

Sasuke's heart was pounding. He could see those talons. The biologist didn't doubt for one second those could shred him to ribbons. The young man tries to will his heart rate to slow. He wondered if the other being could scent fear or at least sense it like an animal.

Naruto smiles and slowly walks over to Sasuke. He knew that the other male was frightened. He had good reason to be. Sasuke just didn't understand yet. That was okay though. He knew how to fix it.

"He's smiling." Jiraiya whispers to Itachi as they observe the pair.

"We think it's a smile. That might be his species way of warning another to leave them alone." Itachi replies nervously.

He slowly reaches out his hand to caress Sasuke's cheek. Sasukse looks at him in surprise. Naruto took this as a good sign. He wasn't pulling away. So the blonde pulled him into his arms and wraps his wings around him protectively.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asks uncertainly.

"Sasuke." He replies and leans down slightly to press his lips against those of his Mate's.

_Soft and warm._ He tasted like Ramensa. Ramensa was a delicious wine that was made on his home planet. He pulls Sasuke closer, eager to explore his Mate more and to learn his language.

Sasuke's eyes widen in shock. The alien was **_KISSING_** him?! He didn't know what to do!

There was a possibility that he was transferring some sort of disease to him or something. Though the way that Naruto was holding him seemed too affectionate for it to be an attack.

No, this was definitely a kiss! That's when Sasuke noticed a slight tingling sensation and the blue lights that were surrounding them. He inwardly panics!

"You're beautiful." Naruto says, once he breaks the kiss.

"Did he just speak English?!" Itachi asks Jiraiya, not believing his ears!

"I think he did." Jirayia confirms and his eyes widen in complete shock at this development.

Sasuke was stunned. Naruto had just spoken perfect English. Sure, his "accent" was strong. There was an almost purring quality to it, but every word was understandable. Naruto could talk and he had just called Sauske beautiful. He didn't know which of those things shocked him more.

"That's the easiest way for my species to acquire another language, mouth to mouth contact. We also kiss as your kind do, to give pleasure. That's what the sensation and lights were. They were just me absorbing your words." Naruto says.

"So…you could learn a language instantly, as long as you kiss someone?" Sasuke asks in awe.

"Yeah. I guess you could say that. But I only know the words you know. I'm not worried though. You seem really smart. So I'm probably fluent enough for most native speakers to understand me." He observes happily.

Sasuke blinks as he tries to process the fact that he was talking to an alien. If it wasn't for the wing, the orange coloration around his eyes, talons, and tail, he could probably easily convince himself he was talking to a college student. His manner of speaking was rather casual.

"Thank you. That's kind of you to say?" He asks uncertainly.

"Believe me, this is weird for me too. Your kind is really confusing, but at least this way we can understand each other." Naruto continues.

Sasuke nods. It made him wonder why Naruto hadn't tried to get someone into the enclosure sooner. If all it took was a simple kiss, things would have gone so much smoother if he had done that earlier.

"If you knew that you could "acquire" our language that easily, why didn't you try to do it before?" He asks.

"Well I figured it was polite to let them run their tests. They wanted to make sure I wasn't carrying pathogens or diseases. So I just kinda went with it. That and my kind prefer to kiss others that they find attractive, just like yours does." Naruto explains.

Sasuke blinks. He realizes with horror, that he could have been killed just by touching Naruto, if the alien had been carrying harmful pathogens! The pathogens might have been harmless to him, but fatal to humans!

He blinks again when he realizes they had found a "considerate" alien. Naruto didn't mind them running tests on him, to make them feel safer. Finally, he was a little floored that apparently Naruto was just waiting for an attractive scientist to walk by.

"Right. Well I'm sure that everyone appreciates that you were willing to let them run the tests on you and I'm really happy to hear that I'm not going to die of exposure to some unknown disease. About that last part though, you realize I'm male right? You're male as well?" Sasuke inquires.

He definitely LOOKED male. But then again, the alien was wearing clothes. So he couldn't really check. There was also the fact that it was possible that Naruto's species didn't even have two separate genders. Maybe they just reproduced asexually?

Sasuke dismissed that possibility. He had clearly indicated that they also kissed for pleasure and they viewed others as attractive. That didn't sound like an asexual species.

"Oh I know you're male. I **definitely** know that!" Naruto says and glances at Sasuke up and down in a rather suggestive manner.

"And so are you?" Sasuke asks again and tries not to blush at the fact that an alien was not so subtlety checking him out.

Naruto nods. Humans were a bit different than Jinchuuriki. While he was absorbing Sasuke's language, he had acquired many different descriptions for sexual orientations. Straight, heterosexual, homosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, and the list went on and on. Really, the blonde was wondering how humans ever got around to mating because it all seemed really confusing!

"So you're gay? I mean you prefer males sexually?" Sasuke asks in what he hoped was a tactful way.

"My people don't really have sexual orientations. You're attracted to what you are attracted to. Gender doesn't really matter to us in that respect. Yes, we have males and females. But it's not strange for males to prefer males, females to prefer females, or to like both. I just happen to prefer males." He says.

Sasuke blinks. Yeah, not only had he found an alien. He had found a gay alien. (Even if Naruto and his kind apparently didn't believe in such classifications.) What were the odds?

"Good to know." Sasuke says.

"Humans make sexuality really complicated. Are you gay?" Naruto asks hopefully.

Sasuke couldn't believe that an alien was asking him about his sexual orientation. Well he supposed it was only fair. He had asked Naruto.

"Yes." He answers simply, deciding not to make a big issue out of it.

Naruto seemed to have a rather liberal view of the subject. As far as Sasuke could tell, the blonde firmly believed in an anything goes philosophy. He was pleased though that Naruto was so willing to answer his questions.

"You said your people. That implies that there are more of you. Are there?" Sasuke inquires.

"I'd rather not say. You are friendly, but your species doesn't always get along with itself yet. If I say that I'm the only one, then I make myself vulnerable. If I say there are more of me and you find them, well some humans might not be too…welcoming." The alien answers.

Sasuke couldn't really argue with this logic. They had people who hated others for their skin color, economic status, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and even silly things like fashion sense. It was hard to see all of humanity welcoming whatever Naruto was.

"Alright. That's fair enough. Why are you here? The odds of you just happening to land on this planet, seem rather…slim." Sasuke asks.

"I've been watching your planet for awhile. I was curious. Humans are just beginning to learn how to travel through space. That means you are interesting. Granted your forms of space travel are rather crude and primitive, but you are learning really fast. Figured it was better to peek in now, than in a couple hundred years when you discovered you weren't alone." He answers honestly.

Sasuke considers this. Naruto seemed to believe that it was only a matter of time before humans would have discovered him. That was flattering in a way. But the way he was speaking, suggested that Naruto viewed his methods of traveling through space as far more advanced. Whether this was arrogance or a statement of fact, Sasuke didn't know yet.

"Don't worry. I have no intention of attacking this planet. That wouldn't be a very good start." The blue eyed alien assures him.

"A good start for what?" Sasuke asks, but before he could get an answer, Jiraiya walked in with Itachi.

* * *

It looked like they had decided Naruto was "friendly" and wanted to get a closer look. Sasuke couldn't blame them. The winged alien was the discovery that was going to change well everything.

"Hello. I am Jirayia. This is Itachi. You appear to speak and understand English now?" The white haired man asks.

"Yeah. I'm Naruto." The blue eyed man replies.

Itachi couldn't help but stare in awe. Somehow just by kissing Sasuke, the alien could now understand their language instantly. He wondered if this was a genetic adaptation or if he had sort of technology that made this possible.

"I'm sure you have lots of questions, as we do for you." Itachi begins.

Naruto nods in agreement. Itachi noticed that he had his wings wrapped around Sasuke like some sort of guardian angel or something. This just further confirmed his suspicions that Naruto was rather fond of Sasuke. He had also called him beautiful, so there was that to consider.

"Will I be allowed out of this enclosure?" Naruto asks.

"That might be possible. You don't strike me as hostile. That was mostly as a precaution. We couldn't communicate with you easily before. We didn't know if you were aggressive or not." Jirayia tries to explain.

"I understand. I'd just like a larger territory and to be able to stretch my wings more." The alien admits.

Sasuke notes the word territory. He acted so human. But there were clearly some animal instincts going on as well.

"How large a territory is normal for someone like you?" Sasuke asks.

"Males tend to have larger territories than females. It varies a bit. I'd prefer at least ten miles though." Naruto answers.

Itachi processes this. That meant that Naruto's species was rather free ranging. He didn't doubt for a minute that the blonde would be able to defend such a large area. Those talons looked lethal.

"Do you know why you look similar to humans?" Jirayia inquires.

"Most dominant life forms tend to end up walking on two legs and have eyes towards the front to grasp things better. The rest, I'm not sure really. Maybe a common ancestor is involved or something." Naruto muses and wraps his wings around Sasuke more, but keeps his head visible.

He figured that would make the humans feel less anxious, if they could see him. The blonde just didn't want to get his Mate to get cold and relished the contact. Sasuke didn't seem to mind.

"Sasuke, what do his wings feel like?" Jiraiya asks in awe.

"Warm and like velvet." Sasuke answers him and resists the urge to snuggle into the alien.

Naruto smiles. He could tell that Sasuke was comfortable wrapped in his wings. That made him very happy. The other two humans seemed nice, but he wished they would just leave him and his Mate alone. How was he supposed to court him with an audience?

"Well that's good. Are you comfortable here, Naruto?" Jiraiya inquires.

"I'd like it better if I had what humans call a bed. Mostly I just want blankets or furs. I'm hungry as well, but not starving. I prefer what humans call meat. Though I can eat vegetation." Naruto replies.

"Oh of course. We'll get on that right away. Sasuke, why don't you go make notations about what you learned so far and call it a day? You've been enormously helpful. You took a great risk today in the name of science and it paid off." The elderly human continues.

Naruto frowns. According to his newly acquired language skills, call it a day implied Sasuke was leaving. He didn't like that. Where was he going? Was he coming back?

"Sounds good to me." Sasuke says as he tries to wiggle out of Naruto's wings.

"You're leaving?" Naruto asks.

"Well after I file my report, yes." Sasuke answers him.

"I don't want you to go. I want you to stay here with me. I'm sure they will get me a better territory soon." The blue eyed alien says.

Itachi watches the scene unfold with some uneasy. He wondered if Naruto would get violent, if Sasuke did try to leave. They could always dart him, but that would probably make the alien much less cooperative afterwards. Still he couldn't allow his brother to be held hostage.

"Naruto, it's not about the territory. I just have a territory of my own I need to defend. I'll be back tomorrow. Alright? You acquired our language, you understand how time passes here?" Sasuke asks.

"Oh. Right. It is important to defend your territory. Yes, I understand how to tell time, the human way. You promise that you'll be back?" The winged being asks Sasuke and seems to be searching him for signs of deception.

"I promise I'll be back. Why wouldn't I be? You're amazing." Sasuke tells him.

Sasuke meant amazing in the sense that Naruto was going to change everything that they knew about the universe. He didn't mean it in the romantic sense at the moment, but that was how Naruto took it.

"And you're beautiful." Naruto says with a big smile and kisses his Mate again.

Sasuke's eyes widen. He had already acquired the language, hadn't he? Maybe he needed regular kisses, to maintain it or reinforce it? He felt Naruto deepening the kiss and Sasuke instinctively returns it at this point.

It felt too good not to. Naruto's lips were warm and rough. There was a slight edge to his kisses from the chapped texture of his lips that felt strangely good. He tasted so _wild._ That was the only way that Sasuke knew how to describe it.

"Should we stop them?" Itachi stares at the scene unfolding before him in concern.

"I don't think so. Clearly, Naruto isn't attacking him." Jiraiya whispers to the anxious man.

Sasuke moans into the kiss. He'd never been kissed like this before. It was like the alien was trying to devour him with his passion. His tongue was boldly plunder his mouth and it was all that he could do to keep up. He felt Naruto grab his ass and pull him closer, wrapping his wings around him again.

The young biologist drew the line when Naruto decided to try to strip him. He gently places his hand on Naruto's lightly. He figured that the blonde would understand what he was trying to say. It worked because the blue eyed being broke the kiss.

"You're Mating Shy?" He observes.

"I'm not really sure what that means. But if Mating is your way of saying sex, then a little. I am not going to do that with my brother and boss watching!" Sasuke says.

"Ohhh. Right. I forgot they were there. I'm sorry. I guess I got carried away." Naruto replies.

"It's okay. Um I'm going to go now. I'll see you tomorrow." Sasuke informs him and Naruto lowers his wings.

Sasuke darts out of the enclosure and tries to catch his breath. He'd never been kissed breathless before. Did all aliens kiss that well? He bit his lower lip. Making out with the subject, probably wasn't the most professional thing he'd ever done. Shit! He might get **fired** now!

* * *

Jiraiya follows Sasuke. Apparently, Itachi was going to stay behind to question the blonde further. The youngest Uchiha braces himself as Jiraiya leads him out of earshot of Naruto and Itachi.

"I'm sorry. I know that was completely unprofessional. He just grabbed me an-" Sasuke tries to explain, but he was soon shushed.

"It's alright. You aren't in trouble. He clearly initiated it. Besides, it might have been dangerous to refuse. He likes you. We'll learn more about him, if he's talking to someone he likes. I'm going to put you in charge of his case." The older scientist informs him.

"Really?" Sasuke blinks.

"Yes, you are relatively new to the field. But you have something that no one else does yet. You have his trust. That makes you very valuable to this project." He continues.

"I won't let you down. Are we going to tell the public about him?" Sasuke asks.

"We might eventually. This could cause a panic. We have to be absolutely sure, that he is ready to deal with that kind of reaction." Came the response.

"You're right. We have to be careful. I'll go file my report. Goodnight, Jiraiya." Sasuke says as he walks off.

* * *

Naruto listens to Itachi talk. He answers the questions that he thought were safe. But mostly, he was just hoping to catch another glimpse of Sasuke before he left. He frowns, when he didn't.

It was okay though. Sasuke had said he was coming back. He had called him amazing. That was a compliment in his language. He'd see his Mate again and maybe this time, Jiraiya and Itachi wouldn't be around. Perhaps, Sasuke would be less Mating Shy, when they were alone?


	2. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto daydreams about his Mate and Sasuke learns more about Jinchuuriki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Reviews are always appreciated and I hope that you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: Jinchuuriki aren't the the only aliens out there ;)

Later that night, Naruto pulls out his necklace that he had been hiding under his shirt. The "gem" part of it looked like an emerald and was shaped like a Leaf. It was held around his neck by a simple black chain.

It was actually a communication device. The closest human equivalent was probably a cell phone. He looks into the green material and calls out his father's name.

"Minato." He says simply and instantly his father's image appears in the stone, causing the alien to smile.

"Naruto! How are you? Have you established contact with the humans yet?" He inquires.

"I'm great. I have. I'm at one of their facilities. They are studying me. I can't blame them. I am the first being from another planet that they've ever seen." The blue eyed alien replies.

Minato sighs in relief. Truthfully, he had been extremely worried about his son. The planet Earth had been discovered almost a century ago, but no Jinchuuriki had made direct contact with its inhabitants yet. Neither had any other intelligent life form.

The reason was simple. Humans couldn't even travel throughout their galaxy yet. There was simply too much distance between them and the next inhabitable planet for them to be a threat to anyone at the moment.

Minato had approved Naruto's excursion to Earth. He knew it was only a matter of time before curiosity would have made rejecting similar requests impossible. The handful of Jinchuuriki that knew about humans were certainly intrigued by them. This was mostly because humans so greatly resembled Jinchuuirki and while their technology while primitive, it was advancing rapidly.

"You're safe then?" The other alien looks at his son with concern.

"Yeah. I'm safe. I'm too valuable to harm and I've been cooperating with them. I acquired their language. So things have been going pretty smoothly since then. I'm better than safe though. I found my Mate!" Naruto smiles.

Minato blinks. He had hoped that humans would be friendly towards Naruto, but he certainly hadn't expected his son to find his Mate on Earth. Still, this wasn't necessarily a cause for alarm. It wasn't completely unheard for such a thing to happen. Other Jinchuuriki had bonded with different species in the past. (Though this was the first time that a Jinchuuriki's Mate was human.)

"That's wonderful news. I am so happy for you, my son. I'm certain your mother will be overjoyed as well. Tell me more about your Mate." Minato beams at him.

"Well his name is Sasuke." Naruto begins.

Minato wasn't surprised to learn that his son's mate was male. He had expected that. Naruto had always preferred males.

His Mate's name while foreign, rolled off the tongue in a rather pleasant fashion. The older blonde considered that a good sign. Names were important!

"Sasuke, I like it. Continue, my son." The older Jinchuuriki gently urges his child on.

"He's human, obviously. He's what they call a biologist. I guess that means he's a scholar by human standards. They receive a salary to study other life forms. I get the impression that it takes years of study to become a biologist. He's really smart too! He has a large vocabulary or maybe humans are just a really verbal species. It might be both actually…" The smitten alien replies.

Minato smiles. Hmm he hadn't expected that Naruto would fall for a scholar. He supposed it was a good thing though.

His son had a tendency to rush into things wholeheartedly, often without any form of a plan. Naruto was like his mother that way. Perhaps a scholar would be able to balance out Naruto's impulsiveness and his son would obviously be able to protect this _"Sasuke."_

"That's good. It would be rather unfortunate to have a simple Mate. Though from what I have observed, humans have a much more complicated courtship process than we do and it varies greatly from individual to individual." The older blonde warns him.

Naruto sighs. The younger alien knew that humans had a complicated courtship process, but was sure that he would win Sasuke over. After all, Sasuke had called him _amazing._

So yeah, he understood it'd be difficult at first, but he figured some things were universal. He was a fierce warrior, good hunter, and very affectionate. These were universally important qualities in a good Mate, no matter what species you were. Surely, Sasuke would appreciate that much?

Once Sasuke had accepted him, he would find them a nice territory on Earth or he could take him back to Konoha. Konoha was the name of the planet that Naruto hailed from.

"Yeah. I know, but we kissed twice. I think he's a little Mating Shy, but that's okay. I mean he might just be nervous because we are different species. That and two other humans were observing us at the time. I think most humans are bashful about having others watch them as they are Mating." The younger blonde observes thoughtfully.

Minato chuckles. Yes, humans did seem to be a relatively shy species when it came to sex. He knew Naruto though. He'd be able to coax his Mate into feeling more comfortable with it, sooner or later.

"Well that's a good sign that he allowed you to kiss him twice. I imagine the other humans were fascinated by the show." The alien king states.

Minato was the current king of Konoha. His Mate, Kushina, was the Queen. Naruto was the Prince. Their only child was also a member of the Warrior Class.

Well perhaps explorer class would have been a more accurate name. The people have Konoha hadn't gone to war in a long time. The last time they had been engaged in one, was around 5000 years ago.

"Yeah. He's not only smart, but he's beautiful. I think even mother might be jealous of his looks. I am a little confused though. He's clearly a scholar, but he has spiky hair like a warrior." Naruto muses.

"Hmm how strange. Perhaps humans have some overlap between classes. He might be primarily a scholar, but his people might depend on him to be a warrior in the event of an attack?" Minato suggests.

Naruto considers this. Yeah, that made sense. If humans could make Mating complicated, maybe their class system was complicated too!

"Maybe. I can't wait for you guys to meet him. He's perfect." Naruto continues on happily.

"He does sound very nice. Now Naruto, try to go slow. He's not one of us. Sasuke probably won't understand our ways at first. That and I don't think humans have talons. So he won't be able to do things like the Locking of Talons. Well at least not yet, anyway." The King cautions him.

Naruto sighs. No Sasuke didn't have talons. But that was okay, that could be changed later on. Besides, who cared about talons when the man could kiss like THAT?!

The Locking of Talons could be considered a courtship dance or foreplay. A Mated Pair would take the sky and do a dive. Their talons would lock together in a display of love.

They would pull apart at the last second, before they hit the ground. It was a rush and a great display of trust. After all, if your partner didn't release you fast enough, you could take more than a bit of a bruising from the fall.

"Yeah, I know. That's okay though. Tell mom that I love her and I'm safe. I gotta go. I think one of the humans is coming to check on me." Naruto says and he hides his necklace under his shirt again, turning the device off.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Jiraiyia watches Naruto in fascination.

It seemed that the elderly human had decided Naruto was safe enough to approach on his own. The blonde even noticed that the guards were much more relaxed. (He wondered if the humans honestly thought he didn't realize they were there.)

"I'm in good spirits. Oh thanks for the _chicken._ I liked it. Is Sasuke around? He said he'd be back tomorrow and it's 12:08 A.M. Technically, it IS tomorrow." Naruto observes hopefully.

"Oh good. I'm glad you are feeling well and you liked the chicken. Naruto, he's probably not going to be here until after nine." Jirayia replies.

Naruto pouts at that. Nine fucking hours?! That was **way** too long! Damn it! Well maybe he could make the bed more comfortable for him, while he waited or something.

"Are you lonely or bored?" Jirayia asks.

He would have preferred having his own territory to take Sasuke to. Then he could have won his Mate over in privacy. It felt wrong to try to claim him here. This wasn't his home. Well maybe he'd hold off on the actual claiming for now.

He might settle for tasting his Mate. Maybe Sasuke would like to do the same. Naruto shivers with anticipation as some rather erotic images flitted across his mind.

"A little, yeah. I mean I'm basically just sitting here, now that I'm done eating." Naruto answers and was impressed he managed to keep his voice steady as his imagination kicked into gear.

**Warning Naruto's Fantasy**

_Once the other scientists were out of sight, he'd greet his Mate with a kiss. Sasuke would return it, of course. Naruto would enjoy that very much and then he'd push him onto the bed._

_The blonde would use his wings to cover them, just in case the other scientists came back and decided to be nosy. He'd strip his Mate and lavish his fair skin with kisses, licks, and gentle bites her and there._

_"N-Naruto." Sasuke would sigh in contentment and runs his fingers through his hair._

_Naruto would take his Mate into his mouth and suck on him. He imagined his Mate was large and thick. The blonde's mind was coming up with all sorts of delightful possibilities of what Sasuke would sound and taste like as he gave him what humans called oral sex. (From what Naruto gathered, human males enjoyed receiving this form of affection as much as male Jinchuuriki did.)_

_The blonde pictured Sasuke as being rather sensitive. It wouldn't take him long to reach orgasm. (Idly, he wondered what a human orgasm looked like, but he just assumed it would be similar a Jinchuuriki one.) He also figured that Sasuke was the type of being that would want to return the favor out of a sense of fairness._

_"Sit on the edge of the bed. Let me take care of you." Sasuke purred at him._

_Naruto happily did as asked. Sasuke quickly tugged off the blonde's clothes. He sat on his knees and soon Naruto saw a dark head of spiky black hair between his thighs and groaned when he felt his Mate's mouth around his cock._

_Sasuke would look up at him with those beautiful dark orbs of his and Naruto would cum hard almost immediately. His Mate really did have the most beautiful eyes…_

**End of Naruto's Fantasy**

"Ah I know that you can speak and understand our language, but can you read in it?" Jirayia asks, oblivious to the fact that he was interrupting Naruto's daydream.

"Yeah. I acquired all of Sasuke's language skills. I can read." Naruto says quickly, snapping out of it.

"Great. I'll give you a book to read. Perhaps it will keep you entertained for a few hours and it will certainly be highly educational." The white haired man offers.

Naruto nods. Well it wasn't as fun as tasting Sasuke or being tasted by him, but it was better than sitting around and doing nothing. Besides, it'd be good to learn more about his Mate's culture.

He spends the next few hours reading a book that was about modern American culture. Apparently there were many different cultures on this planet. On his home planet, their culture was largely uniform. Small differences had emerged of course. This was generally because different climates had forced for people to adopt a slightly different way of life to survive.

* * *

"How is he?" Sasuke looks at one of the guards, after he arrives back at NASA the next morning.

There was no need to say who HE was. It was obvious that Sasuke was talking about Naruto. Naruto was the talk of the entire facility. The guards knew exactly who Sasuke was asking about.

"He seems alright. Apparently, he can read. He's too focused to be flipping through the pages for it to be just boredom." The guard, Kabuto, responds.

"Really? Wow. I didn't realize he meant that he had acquired our language verbally and in its written form." Sasuke muses.

Kabuto smirks. Suddenly, Sasuke was overcome with the impulse to smack him. He knew why the silver haired man was smirking. He had clearly seen or heard about the kiss(es).

"So what was it like? Kissing him?" Kabuto asks.

"That's really none of your business." Sasuke replies and turns to head off, surprised when he felt Kabuto's hand on his.

"Oh come on. I'm just curious. So is everyone here. I mean everyone knows that the women have been panting after you and Itachi since you both showed up. I guess Itachi has the handsome face and you just have the prettier one." The guard continues.

Sasuke twitches. Kabuto was asking for it. He takes a deep breath and mentally counts to three before whirling around to face his "attacker."

"Somehow, I don't think it was just the women who were panting after us. I'd get your hand off of me, right now. If you don't, I'll report you. If that doesn't work, I'll show you why I have a black belt in Karate. Or maybe, I'll let Naruto know you touched me. He seems like the possessive type and those talons look like they could do some serious damage. I bet he'd love to use your dick as a scratching post." Sasuke warns him.

"Ouch. You are pretty vicious. I guess your tastes run a little more…exotic than most. Tell me, do you think he counts as an animal or a human? Because I didn't know you were into be-" Kabuto begins to taunt him, but Sasuke quickly silences him by punching him.

"You damn sick bastard" Sasuke snarls at him.

"What the Hell is going on here?" Itachi asks, hearing the commotion and Kabuto's yelp of pain.

Kabuto rubs his cheek. He couldn't believe the younger Uchiha brother had actually punched him! He narrows his eyes, at this new development.

"Oh look, Sasuke. It's your big brother to the rescue as always. Can you even manage to tie your own shoes without him helping you? " Kabuto mocks him, eager to reassert his control of the situation.

Sasuke growls. He was about to slam Kabuto into the wall, when Itachi held him back. He hears his brother mutter something about it not being worth getting fired over or assault charges.

"I suggest you not continue to provoke my brother, Kabuto. If you do, losing your job over sexual harassment will be the least of your worries. Do you understand me?" Itachi seethes at the other man.

"It'll be my word against yours and I think you both know that Orochimaru will back me. Plus the fact you are his brother means you aren't a very credible witness." He warns them.

"If you want to press your luck, be my guest. I have more important things to worry about. You know, like the fact we've discovered an intelligent alien species?!" Sasuke snaps at Kabuto and heads to the enclosure.

* * *

Naruto beams when Sasuke enters the enclosure. The blonde practically tackle hugs him. Immediately, he wraps his wings around his Mate and kisses him.

It had been less than a day, but a Jinchuuriki's instincts to claim their Mate was one of their most powerful ones. The separation had been driving him more than a little crazy.

Sasuke blinks and kisses back in surprise. He was really starting to wonder if Naruto needed mouth to mouth contact to retain the language or if the blonde just really wanted to jump him that badly. Sasuke was beginning to suspect it was more likely the latter.

"So is that how your people say, _Good morning_?" Sasuke asks in amusement, once he breaks the kiss.

"To our Mates, yeah. But if you want, I can make it a REALLY good morning." Naruto offers.

Sasuke wasn't sure exactly what Naruto had just offered, but he knew that it was probably sexual in nature. He manages not to blush, but it was a close call. Thank God that he was used to being embarrassed. (And so was everyone else who had an older brother like Itachi.)

"Um I think that's good enough for right now. How are you feeling?" Sasuke inquires.

"Better now that you are here. What happened to you? Your scent was very angry before you came to see me. Did someone try to take your territory?" The blonde growls at the thought.

"Good. No, no one tried to take my territory. Wait, you can smell someone's mood?!" Sasuke demands.

Naruto tilts his head. Oh. It looked like humans couldn't do that. He just kinda assumed they would be able to. It was such a useful ability.

"Well yeah. I thought everyone could. But that's besides the point. What upset you?" The blonde asks.

Sasuke makes a mental note that Naruto could apparently scent moods. Well at the very least, he could scent anger. That little tidbit was a very important discovery. No wonder he had been content to let them poke and prod him. The blue eyed alien knew that he was in no danger.

"It's nothing. One of my coworkers was being an ass." Sasuke mutters.

"He was being a body part?" Naruto asks in confusion.

"Not that kind of ass." The biologist clarifies and Naruto tilts his head to the side, apparently trying to understand.

"You mean he was being a donkey? They let donkeys work at NASA?" The alien wonders out loud.

Sasuke smacks his forehead. Apparently, Naruto understood English well enough. But it seemed slang was a little bit harder for him to grasp. He supposed it made sense that the blonde would assume that he meant the literal meaning and wouldn't guess that _ass_ was also used as an insult sometimes.

"It's slang. It means he was being a jerk. You know he was being stupid on purpose? He was trying to be annoying. I don't really know what the equivalent would be where you come from." The dark haired man says with a sigh.

"Oh he was being a Sannin. Got it." Naruto says cheerfully.

"Um right. I guess so. Do you have to keep kissing me for you to retain the language or something?" Sasuke asks.

Naruto shakes his head. No, he didn't. Once was enough, but that didn't mean he was going to stop kissing his Mate. What kind of Mate would he be, if he wasn't affectionate? A very bad one, that's what kind!

"No. Once does it. I just like touching you." Naruto admits.

"Oh. Right." Sasuke says and doesn't know what further he could really say.

It would be very unprofessional to pursue a relationship with a "coworker" or "subject." Hell, he didn't even know if it was really safe. Naruto seemed friendly and really open, but it could all be an act.

He had implied that his race's technology was far more advanced than humans. The fact he could learn to speak a language, just by kissing someone did back up that claim. Who knew what else he was really capable of?

"You're nervous again. Is it because of me? Are you already Mated to someone else?" The blonde asks.

"Yes. Yes. No." Sasuke answers in rapid succession, his brain not really able to come up with more elaborate answers at the moment.

Naruto sighs in relief. He didn't really know what he would have done, if Sasuke was already Mated. The only way to severe a bond like THAT, would be to challenge the other Mate.

Naruto would have had to kill Sasuke's lover or had to respect that he was taken. The blonde would have respected the already established bond, but it would have been heartbreaking. He couldn't imagine not being able to claim the beautiful human, it was too painful to even contemplate.

"You don't have to be nervous around me. I'm not an _ass_ like your coworker. I wouldn't try to annoy you or hurt you." Naruto says with such a sincere smile, that for the moment Sasuke believed him.

"I know you aren't. Which is why you won't mind helping me and my kind get to know you better, right?" Sasuke asks.

Naruto looks at Sasuke. His Mate thought he was being sneaky, he supposed. This might have been a subtle seduction to get more information out of him, but the blue eyed alien wasn't picky. He'd take what he could get. You had to start somewhere, right?

"I'll answer whatever I think is safe to answer." He replies honestly.

"Alright. That's fair. When you kissed me and acquired our language, did you do that thanks to some technology or was that a natural ability?" Sasuke asks.

"Natural ability. I was just born able to do it. I imagine your species will evolve something similar, given enough time." He replies cheerfully.

Sasuke nods. Well that was a little disappointing. If it had been thanks to technology, they could have possibly copied it. Oh well.

"Good to know. What about the skin around your eyes? It's orange and the rest of your skin isn't. Is that natural or artificial?" He inquires.

"Oh that's natural. It doesn't actually do anything. It's sorta like a peacock's feathers. It's just designed to look cool. Helps us attract Mates or look more badass during fights with other species." He says.

Sasuke blinks. _"Or look more badass during fights with other species."_ That meant that there was more than whatever Naruto was out there.

"So there are other kinds of aliens. It's not just humans and your kind?" Sasuke asks.

Naruto sighs. His Mate was really too clever for his own good sometimes. Sasuke was definitely a scholar.

"You're kinda getting ahead of yourself, but I guess the cat is out of the bag now. Yes. Don't worry. They aren't likely to mess with humans at this point. You aren't a threat a real threat yet and you're pretty far away from the major areas of colonization. It's unlikely they'd stumble upon you and if they did, they wouldn't see it as worth the effort to attempt to annex you. Too much travel, resources, and time involved to make it worth the effort and bad press." He tries to explain.

"I'm not sure if I should feel relived or insulted. But what do you mean by bad press?" Sasuke asks.

"Well right now…hmm not sure how to say this. I don't want you to take this the wrong way. But if another alien species like mine tried to conqueror Earth, it'd be viewed like taking candy from a baby. It wouldn't help their reputations much." Naruto continues answering Sasuke's question.

"Uh huh and?" Sasuke inquires.

"Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of life forms that aren't anywhere near as advanced as the human species, but you are a new species. There are species out there that have had millions or more time than that to evolve. It's just not really a fair fight in some cases." Naruto finishes in a rush.

"So you're trying to say is that we are basically babies or young children compared to some other species?" Sasuke asks and the blonde nods.

Sasuke gulps. That wasn't terribly reassuring. The only thing protecting them was apparently that they were fairly far away from some more advanced species in the universe and it'd look bad if they picked on _"kids."_

"Like I said, you're perfectly safe. Even if you were attacked, I'd keep you safe and Itachi. I figure you probably want your brother protected." Naruto offers.

"Yeah…I'd definitely want Itachi protected as well." Sasuke agrees.

"I thought so. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. If you want, I can deal with this annoying coworker of yours." He continues.

Sasuke shakes his head in amusement. The offer was tempting, but he should fight his own battles. It was sweet of Naruto to want to play the White Knight…err Alien, though.

"I can handle it, but thanks." Sasuke says.

"You sure? Because I will protect you, if you want me to. You are my Mate, after all." The winged alien smiles as if such an occurrence was the natural order of things.

* * *

Sasuke was about to ask what Naruto meant by THAT, when the President comes in. Her eyes widen when she sees Naruto. Sasuke could certainly understand her reaction. He'd had the same one himself.

Tsunade wasn't stupid. She had the Secret Service around her. Sasuke could see the guards were back up with the darts, just in case. She was the President and had to be protected at all costs.

"They say that you can speak and understand English, is that true?" Tsunade asks Naruto.

"Yeah. I can. Hello." Naruto says politely, though it was clear that most of his attention was focused almost exclusively on Sasuke.

Naruto thought it was cute that the humans actually thought their guards could do a damn thing against him. Sure, the tranquilizers could knock him out. But they had gotten lucky last time. They had the element of surprise on their side, they didn't anymore.

"I'm Tsunade. I am the President of the United States. That's one of the larger countries on this planet. Do you understand the concept of countries and governments?" She asks.

"Yeah. I understand completely. So you're Sasuke's Queen?" He asks curiously.

Tsunade rubs the back of her head sheepishly. She supposed that was one way to put it. She did find it odd that Naruto specifically emphasized Sasuke and not humanity in general. She'd have to explore that in more detail later.

"Yes, you could say that. Though I'm only queen for 4-8 years." She explains.

"That's really odd, but nice to meet you. I'm Naruto." He greets her merrily.

"The pleasure is all mine, I'm sure." She says and glances at him from head to toe.

Tsunade couldn't believe it. They had actually discovered alien life. Not only that, but the alien was able to communicate perfectly with them. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She winced when she realized she wasn't.

"Well I think we have a lot to talk about, Naruto." She says.

"Yeah. Sure. Sasuke stays this time though, right?" He asks.

Tsunade was torn. Sasuke hadn't exactly been vetted enough to have the security clearances to hear about national security. He was approved to go into NASA and work there, but not for governmental information like this.

She didn't like not having him vetted, but she also realized that Naruto probably would be more talkative with the young man around. It was a trade off. Information vs. security. She chose information.

"Yes, Sasuke can stay." She says.

"Alright. So what do you wanna know?" He asks.


	3. Moving on Up!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More and more people are made aware of Naruto as Tsuande decides to grant the alien's request for a bigger territory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

_"Alright. So what do you wanna know?"_ The alien asked Tsunade.

She had to pinch herself again. The busty blonde couldn't believe that that there was an alien standing only a few feet away from her. An alien that apparently spoke perfect English AND was willing to answer her questions. The President didn't know where to begin. It was all so surreal.

"Everything." She replies.

"Oh well could you be a little more specific?" Naruto inquires and gently brushes Sasuke's arm with the tip of one of his wings.

Tsunade noted this with lots of curiosity and more than a little concern for Sauske's safety. It seemed that their _guest_ was extremely fond of the youngest Uchiha. The politician wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing yet.

"Well let's start with the basics. What do your people call yourselves?" Tsunade asks.

"I'm a Jinchuuriki and before you ask, my planet is very far away from yours. You wouldn't be able to travel there in one of your ships as it stands now." The blue eyed alien states.

Tsunade blinks. They wouldn't be able to travel to his planet, but Naruto had clearly made it here. That implied that Jinchuuriki had far more advanced space travel technology than they did.

"We've already had this discussion. According to Naruto, we aren't at risk for an attack. We're too far out of the way for that." Sasuke assures her.

The busty blonde wasn't entirely sure that was terribly reassuring. That implied an attack COULD happen, if Jinchuurikis desired to do so. The only thing that was keeping them safe was the fact it'd be inconvenient? It was obvious that Naruto's people were capable of reaching earth, that meant an attack was possible.

"I see. Well you look largely human in appearance. Is this your natural form?" Tsunade asks.

"Are those your natural breasts? Yes, it's my true form. We aren't really sure why the physical similarities are so striking. Yeah, most advanced life forms do tend to end up walking on two legs and have eyes in the front. But usually two species that evolved so far away form each other, don't look **this** much alike. I think we may share a common ancestor or perhaps environmental factors caused our species to evolve many identical traits." Naruto muses.

Sasuke tries not to laugh. He really did. The biologist couldn't believe Naruto had just asked if Tsunade's breasts were real or not. He couldn't quite suppress a snicker.

"Yes, they are COMPLETELY natural. Thank you, very much. Wait advanced life forms as in plural? We? There are other alien species out there besides yourself?" She demands to know.

"Oh I wasn't sure. Your breasts are so much larger than the other females I've seen so far. Then again, you appear to be older. Maybe they just get bigger as females age. I suppose they could serve as a useful adaptation to prevent drowning. You would just float to the top. Oh…and yeah. I already told Sasuke that. There are other species out there, but you're completely safe. Just like I said before." Naruto says.

Tsunade gives Sasuke a dirty look for snickering. Naruto sees the look. His eyes narrow. The Jinchuuriki was obviously less than thrilled by any "threat" to Sasuke, no matter how minor it might be.

"Naruto, humans usually don't consider it polite to speak about another person's breasts so openly." Sasuke mumbles and looks at his feet, knowing that he was pushing his luck with Tsunade.

"Ohhh. Right. I keep forgetting. Humans are so Mating Shy. I don't know how you have such a large population, when everyone is so shy." Naruto observes.

"So you're people are more open about sexuality and your population is smaller than ours?" The President inquires, trying to steer the conversation back to a more professional tone.

Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly. He knew it probably wasn't a good idea to give out information like that, just yet. He'd just have to evade the question. Luckily, he was skilled at evasion. You had to be when you were a prince.

"Yeah. We are much more open and I'm not sure. I don't know how many humans there are. I have just noticed there are a lot." He states, playing "dumb."

"You said your people are more open about sexuality and consider ours to be _"Mating Shy."_ Do you have a Mate? Are you old enough to have one? Forgive me if these questions are too personal." Tsunade says.

"I'm old enough to have one and yes, I have a Mate. I just haven't claimed him _yet_." Naruto answers her and gazes longingly at Sasuke as he does so.

Tsunade blinks. Naruto didn't just _like_ Sasuke. The Jinchuuriki viewed him as his **Mate**. She didn't know what was more shocking. The fact that Naruto would consider a human his Mate or that he wanted to claim another male.

The busty blonde was far from homophobic. In all honesty, she cared little for whether people preferred to have men or women to be their lovers. The most important thing was that it was consensual. Still she hadn't expected them to find a _gay alien._ What were the odds?

"Fascinating. Well Sasuke, how about we take a break for lunch. Naruto, what do you eat? We can try to bring something back for you, if you like. Do Jinchuuriki eat?" She asks curiously.

"Oh we have a pretty diverse diet. Jiraiya gave me some chicken last night before. I prefer meat, really. But I'm not picky." He says brightly.

"Good to know." She says and heads off with Sasuke.

* * *

Once she was out of earshot of the alien, she pulls the young man aside. She wondered if Sasuke was aware that the alien apparently had feelings for him. That or at least lusted after him.

"Sasuke, do you realize that Naruto views you as his _"Mate?"_ The President questions him.

"Kinda. He hasn't really been very subtle about it." Sasuke admits with a slight blush.

She bit her lower lip. Tsunade wasn't sure how to proceed. This could lead to a treasure trove of information about Jinchuuriki and possibly other life forms. But still, they had no idea what a Mating actually involved.

Naruto might not even mean to hurt Sasuke, but he could. There was no telling how Jinchuuriki claimed their lovers. Sasuke's life could be in danger.

"Do you realize how dangerous that could be?! We don't know how his kind claim someone! If he thinks you led him on, he could become dangerous! We know almost **nothing** about him!" Tsunade stares at him in utter disbelief.

"I realize it's dangerous, but he hasn't hurt me. He's kissed me a few times and wrapped his wings around me. Naruto answers my questions patiently. He seems friendly, more like a college student than an alien. I don't feel like I'm in any danger around him." Sasuke protests.

Tsunade sighs. She didn't know which would carry a greater risk. Keeping Sasuke around Naruto or separating them, could both result in disaster. It was possible Naruto might fly into a rage if his Mate was taken from him.

"That's because you haven't done anything that he might consider a rejection yet. Sasuke, he might look mostly human, but he's not." She warns him.

"I know. But if you keep me from him, I don't think he'd react well." He confesses to his President.

"That's what I'm afraid of. Which is why for now, I won't separate you two. Just be careful and if you feel uncomfortable, get the Hell out of there. I will have him darted." She promises.

"Got it." Sasuke agrees with a nod.

* * *

Orochimaru blinks when he saw that Kabuto had a deep purple bruise on his cheek. Someone had hit him and hit him hard.

"Kabuto, what happened to your face?" He inquires as he walks over to the security guard.

"Sasuke happened. I think the alien is rubbing off on him. I've never known him to be violent before. To be fair, I did provoke him a bit. It does irk me to see the alien panting all over him and Sasuke allowing it." He mutters as he plays the footage from the day before for he scientist.

"It is fascinating to see the _"panting"_ though. Do we have audio of the footage as well?" Orochimaru asks, ignoring his friend's annoyance.

Kabuto nods. He turns on the audio, so that Orochimaru could hear and see it. He knew the older man was ecstatic to learn more about the alien.

It was only natural. Orochimaru was one of the greatest scientific minds of the day. Anyone would have been curious, but especially someone with an inquisitive mind like him.

"Hmm he is a rather bold creature, isn't he? Interesting. They can smell if someone is upset or not. How very fascinating and it seems that he views homosexuality as perfectly normal where he comes from." Orochimaru observes.

"Oh how lovely, tolerant aliens." Kabuto mutters.

Kabuto hated to admit it, but Sasuke was correct. Years ago, when Itachi had first come to NASA, the silver haired guard had been completely smitten. He had made his admiration known, but the elder Uchiha had politely rejected him. The guard didn't know this for a fact, but he assumed Itachi was straight. (It certainly made the rejection easier to swallow.)

"Kabuto, be a professional." Orochimaru chides him gently.

Sasuke had arrived at NASA about a year ago. He was doing some work for them on a project that involved hawks. He didn't know all the details about it, but Kabuto wasn't going to argue. He was rather content to have some more Uchiha eye candy around.

Kabuto knew that Sasuke preferred men. Sakura had asked him out, not long after he had arrived. The younger Uchiha told her in no uncertain terms that he just wasn't attracted to women. So yeah, he took Sauske's rejection more personally than Itachi's.

"I **am** being a professional!" Kabuto replies and Orochimaru shakes his head in amusement.

He knew that the silver haired man was being far from professional. Still, he couldn't blame him. Itachi and Sasuke were certainly both very attractive. Unfortunately, he knew the age gap was too extreme for either to be interested in pursuing a more personal relationship with him.

It was a pity. Orochimaru consoled himself with the fact that the Uchihas were extremely gifted. Itachi was a gifted mechanical engineer and Sasuke was a rising star in the field of biology. Quite honestly, Orochimaru was fascinated by both of them.

"I understand the attraction, but this is a once in a life time opportunity. Don't blow this because you are jealous." Orochimaru warns him.

Thanks to Itachi, fuel efficiency was up 67% and the ships were now 89% more durable. The eldest Uchiha was very skilled at making small tweaks that had a big impact. His mind worked in the most intriguing of ways, noticing things that others never did.

Sasuke was also talented. He was a rising star in the biologist community. His knowledge of birds was almost unparalleled. Perhaps that was why Naruto was so drawn to him. Sometimes animals such as cats or dogs knew when a person was a "cat person" or a "dog lover." It was possible that Jinchuuriki might also be able to sense when someone was more likely to be pleasantly disposed towards them.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that. WAIT did you see this?!" Kabuto asks suddenly.

"What is it?" Orochimaru asks and Kabuto shows him.

Orochimaru blinks. The clock on the camera showed 11:30 P.M. and in the next second it showed 12:08 A.M. Had it been a simple glitch or something more sinister?

What Kabuto and Orochimaru couldn't possibly know is that Naruto's communication device had simple blocked the camera. Naruto knew he was being filmed, but he wasn't going to allow the humans to listen in with his private conversation with his father. So once it was over, he let the cameras roll again.

"How strange." They both murmur.

* * *

Back on Konoha, Minato was trying to soothe two very anxious red heads. The first was his beautiful Mate, Kushina. The second was Gaara Sabaku. He had just told them both that Naruto had found his Mate.

"I'm happy he found his Mate. but would this _"Sasuke,"_ understand what that meant? Humans have such complicated courtship rituals. It's truly a wonder they ever manage to breed." She muses.

"What's he like? Can he handle Naruto's boisterous nature?" Gaara asks in concern.

Minato rubs the back of his head sheepishly. It was only natural that Kushina would be worried about Naruto. He was her son. Gaara was Naruto's best friend. Really, it only stood to reason that they would have questions. The blonde just hoped they both calmed down enough to listen to the answers.

"I'm not entirely certain, but Naruto seems confident that he can win his Mate over. So I'm just going to trust his instincts. As for what Sasuke is like, I haven't met him yet. Naruto tells me that he's a scholar, but has spiked hair." He replies.

"A scholar and a warrior? That's unusual. Intelligence and strength. Naruto has good tastes." Gaara muses.

"Maybe humans are different than us. Perhaps their hair texture doesn't mean much to them?" Kushina wonders out loud.

"I'm not certain if that is the case or not. Naruto also says that Sasuke is beautiful. But everyone says that about their mates." Minato notes with a chuckle.

Kushina twitches. What was Minato implying there? Was he trying to say she wasn't beautiful? That he only called her that because she was his Mate?

"In your case, it is most certainly true, my love." The blue eyed king says in a rush.

"You are so tail whipped." Gaara mutters under his breath.

Minato gives the red headed male a dirty look for that one. The younger Jinchuuriki gulps. He wisely shuts up for the moment.

"I'd feel better if he wasn't alone. Perhaps Gaara could go?" Kushina suggests.

"I'd have to give my people some notification of course. I wouldn't want them to worry. Aside from that, I would have no objections. The Earth's atmosphere is clearly compatible with our biology and Naruto appears safe." The Kazekage says.

"Very well. Inform your people and set out as soon as you can." Minato gives his blessing for the new mission.

The government of Konoha was somewhat complicated. It was a Constitutional Monarchy. Minato was the King and Kushina his Queen. There were essentially two halves of the government. The Royal and Noble families and the Ruler Class.

The Ruler Class was made up of Jinchuuriki who handled the day to day governmental affairs of the planet. The Royal Family would always make the final decision, but they couldn't be everywhere at once.

Thus the Ruler Class had evolved. It was run by Kages. Kages were essentially in charge of a large territory on Konoha. There were five Kages in all. Gaara was the Kazekage. This meant he ruled over Suna. Suna was the desert region of Konoha.

"May I take my leave to make the necessary preparations for my journey?" Gaara asks, bowing to his King.

"You may." Minato says and the younger Jinchuuriki heads off.

One was born to the ruler class, but you could not be born a Kage. Kages were elected. You could hold that position for your entire life or if the people didn't think you were a good ruler (or a better one came along), you would lose your Kageship.

Some Kages did eventually retire in their old age. But most held onto the position as long as they possibly could. It was one of great prestige and honor after all.

"He is quite young to be a Kage." Kushina muses.

"He's earned the trust of his people and the right to rule. I'm more surprised that he's unmated than Kazekage, honestly. I never would have suspected Naruto would find his Mate before Gaara." The blonde king notes with a chuckle.

"Me neither." Kushina agrees.

* * *

Elsewhere in the universe, Jiraiya finds Tsunade and Sasuke. He rushes over to the President. It was only natural. The white haired man was eager to report his findings.

"Well Madam President, the alien can speak in perfect English. He doesn't seem to be aggressive. He's been very cooperative with answering our questions. He's also able to read and will eat chicken. He's expressed an interest in moving to a larger _territory._ I think I know just the place. With your permission, we can move him." Jiraiya says.

Tsunade blinks. Jirayia wanted to MOVE the alien?! Was he out of his mind?! What if someone saw him and it created a panic?!

"I don't think that is a good idea. Someone could see him. We can't have the public finding out about Naruto just yet." She replies.

"Oh I understand the hesitancy. But he does seem like a being that needs wide open spaces. I'm afraid that if we keep him cooped up too long, it could have damaging effects on his mental health. Besides, there is an island off of the coast of Hawaii. It's completely uninhabited. We could warn planes to stay away because of weather conditions or say that we are conducting military drills there." He suggests.

The busty blonde frowns. She didn't really like it, but Jiraiya did raise some good points. Naruto was being cooperative now. That might not last if he felt cooped up.

"Very well. I will give my permission to move him, but this has to be executed in the most discreet fashion possible. If he's discovered by the public, it will be your head that will roll. I will hold YOU personally responsible. Is that clear?" She demands.

"Crystal. Oh and there is one more thing, Madam President. Naruto seems rather fond of Sasuke. So maybe it would be best, if Sasuke goes along." Jiraiya says nervously.

"I can't say that I believe that is a good idea, but I don't want him to fly into a rage Sasuke doesn't go with him. Very well." She says.

"Wonderful. Sasuke here is the file about the island. You will have everything you need provided to you and if you need anything, you will be able to contact us of course." His boss says and hands Sasuke a folder with a lot of papers in it.

Sasuke nods. He looks at them questioningly. After a few minutes, he's dismissed and given some food to take back to Naruto.

* * *

"Naruto? I'm back. I brought food and I have some good news." Sasuke says as he heads into the enclosure.

"Really? What's the good news?" Naruto asks as he was instantly at his Mate's side.

Sasuke marvels at Naruto's speed. It was incredible, though a little frightening. Sasuke was slowly realizing that Naruto was definitely a predator of some kind. Those talons hadn't been made to pluck berries. The youngest Uchiha was just grateful that at the moment, he didn't appear to be the prey.

"You are getting that larger territory. We have to move you carefully. Tsunade doesn't think other humans are quite ready to meet you yet. So we have to be discreet." Sasuke says.

"Oh. My Jinchuuriki traits would probably scare people, huh?" Naruto asks.

"Well maybe a little. Mostly, I think people would be shocked. They are beautiful, but humans just don't have them. You'd stick out." Sasuke says, hoping that Naruto didn't get offended.

"So what you're saying is it'd be easier to move me, if people couldn't see my wings, tail, or talons?" He asks.

"Well yeah. It's okay though. Obviously you can't do anything about that. It's just part of who you are and they are stunning. It's just you know, going to take people time to get used to you." Sasuke tells him.

Sasuke blinks. He saw Naruto touch something in his pocket. After doing so, his alien traits just disappeared. Naruto looked completely human. No tail, wings, talons, or even the orange skin around his eyes.

"How did you do that?" The Uchiha asks in wonder.

"It's called Cloaking. Sometimes it's just easier to blend in with the natives." Naruto answers him.

Sasuke's eyes widen in a stunning realization. Naruto could have easily have pretended to be a human and no one would have been wiser. The blond had deliberately chosen to reveal himself.

"How would we know if one of your kind had been here before, if they had been cloaked? How does that work?" Sasuke asks.

"You wouldn't know. If they had, we would have records of it though. It's a technology. It just hides our unique traits until we look like the dominant species. It's not painful. Just a hologram." Naruto explains.

Sasuke tilts his head. If it was jut a hologram, then that meant the parts were still there. He just couldn't see them.

He reaches out to touch Naruto, where his wings should be. Sasuke blinks. The biologist could feel them, but he couldn't see them.

"Well I'm glad that it doesn't hurt. But if you could do this, wouldn't have been easier for you to just pretend to be a human? You wouldn't have been locked up that way." Sasuke muses.

"It would have been easier, yeah. But would have been sneakier too. I don't think that is a good way to establish trust. Better to lay out all your cards on the table, as humans say. Do you like me better this way?" Naruto asks.

Sasuke pauses as he considered the question. Well now he could actually walk across the street with Naruto. But his wings and alien features were beautiful in a primal way. The blonde looked like a hot college student at the moment. It was hard to choose really.

"I like both forms. It doesn't matter to me whether you have wings or not. Your wings are beautiful, but they aren't what makes you…well you." The Uchiha answers.

"Good. What kind of territory are we going to? Tropical, desert, artic, forest, or something else?" The alien inquires curiously.

"Oh tropical island. I think you'll really like it. Here are some pictures of it." Sasuke says and shows him the file.

Naruto looks at it. It was certainly beautiful. An island, well that meant that there was water nearby. Probably fish as well.

He wondered if Sasuke liked fish? He could show off his hunting skills by catching them for his Mate and the wildlife on land. He supposed he could gather some fruits and vegetables too. Sasuke might prefer a more balanced diet.

"It's perfect! Really, it's beautiful. Just like you. Oh and this way, I can stretch my wings and fly with you." He says happily.

"Naruto, that's really sweet and all, but I don't have wings." Sasuke says.

"I know. That doesn't matter to me though. I can carry you. You could ride in my arms or on my back." The blonde says.

Sasuke blinks. The alien had essentially offered to let him ride him. Sasuke tries not to blush as his mind came up with other ways the blue eyed being might want him to ride him.

"Maybe. I'll think about it." Sasuke says.


	4. My Mate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto gets a new territory, Sasuke's curiosity gets the better of him, and new faces show up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

"You're telling me that you could have passed yourself off as a human, this whole time?" Tsunade demands when she sees Naruto boarding the private jet, a few days later.

"Yeah. What's wrong? Shouldn't you be happy? This is easier." The other blonde asks in confusion and Sasuke shakes his head in amusement.

"Do you have any other tricks that we should know about?" Tsunade grumbles.

Itachi heads to the front of the jet. He was going to fly it. Itachi Uchiha was good at many things, but truthfully building machines and flying were what he did best. There was nothing better than soaring through the air, in his opinion.

"Awe come on. It's no fun if I tell you everything at once. That spoils the surprise." Naruto protests as he buckles up.

Sasuke laughs. He had never imagined an alien would be so light hearted. The fact that Naruto sounded AND looked like a human now, made it hard to remember that he wasn't.

"How old are you?" Tsunade asks.

Gingerly, he reaches over and places his hand on top of Naruto's. He knew those talons were still there. They were just hidden. Sasuke had to remind himself again and again that Naruto was a PREDATOR with some very sharp talons! It wouldn't end well, if he forgot that!

"In human years, I'd be 24." Naruto answers.

The blonde alien beams at Sasuke and places his hand on top of the other man's. It seemed that Naruto knew why Sasuke's touch was so tentative. So he decided to take initiative and alleviate the concern.

Sasuke blinks. Naruto was almost the same age as him. Well he was a year younger. Then again, he didn't know what the lifespan of a Naruto's kind. He could be an old man, but Sasuke doubted it.

"Alright, everyone. Sit back and enjoy the ride." Itachi says as he guides the jet into liftoff.

Sasuke sits back and relaxes. He had absolute faith in Itachi's piloting abilities. He figured that his brother could fly straight through a tornado or hurricane with ease. He was that good.

Not long after, Sasuke found himself dozing off. Naruto smiles at his sleeping mate. He wraps his temporarily invisible wrings around him. Sasuke had said he liked them. There was no reason for his Mate to get cold while he slept.

"So Naruto, you said that you know who you want to be your Mate, but hadn't claimed them?" Tsunade dares herself to ask.

"Mhm. It's okay though. The courtship process is going a little slower than I would like, but now that I have my own territory things should be different." He smiles.

Tsunade mentally winced. Wonderful! Naruto probably viewed getting his own _"territory,"_ in the same way a teenagers viewed hotel rooms on Prom Night! She looks at Sasuke in concern.

"How does your species go about Claiming someone?" The busty blonde inquires cautiously, not sure if she was going to like the answer.

"Well the actual Claiming is pretty straight forward. We Mate and Mark each other. Usually most Jinchuuriki will give their Mate a symbol of their love. Most often jewelry like a necklace or something of that nature. In that way, I guess we are sorta similar to humans. Often we Lock Talons before Mating though. Sasuke doesn't have talons, but that's okay!" Naruto answers her.

Itachi was suddenly having a very hard time focusing on flying. He supposed that he had already known how Naruto felt about Sasuke. But to hear it stated so bluntly, well it made him concerned.

He didn't know what Locking Talons meant exactly, but he knew that Sasuke couldn't do that part. He also didn't know how "vigorous" Jinchuurikis were during sex either. So he was worried for his brother's safety.

"Do you view…Sasuke as disabled because he doesn't have talons?" The President inquires.

"What? No! He's perfectly healthy for his species. I mean it'd be nice if he had them, but it doesn't make a difference to me. We can't Lock Talons currently, but we can lock together in other ways that are much more fun." The blonde says.

Itachi wasn't an idiot. He understood EXACTLY what Naruto was implying. The alien really wanted to be with Sasuke. He kept his mouth shut for the moment because they were flying, but he knew he'd have to speak with Sasuke about this and maybe even Naruto, later.

* * *

Meanwhile Gaara had arrived on Earth. He was cloaking his ship, so as not to be detected. He felt Naruto's chakra and followed it. Chakra was what Jinchuuriki called someone's energy. Humans might have referred to it as their aura.

"He's on the move. He's moving too fast to be flying on his own. He must be in some type of craft." Gaara muses.

"Pretty fast craft for a human ship. Thought they were a bit more primitive than that in their tech. This must be one of their fancier ships. That or the pilot knows what he's doing. " Kisame observes.

Kisame was not Jinchuuriki. He was an Akatsuki. Akatsuki were a species that had evolved in water originally, but could now live on land. The larger male was more "exotic" than Gaara because he had light blue skin, gills on his face, and teeth that greatly resembled a shark. He dwarfed the red head by about two feet in height.

"It could be both. King Minato says that Naruto found his Mate. Furthermore, he states that Sasuke is a scholar. Perhaps he is responsible for the faster ship?" The red head wonders out loud.

"It's possible. So we are just checking in with Naruto to make sure he's alright then?" Kisame inquires.

"Essentially. Queen Kushina is worried for Naruto's safety. One can hardly blame her. Naruto is their only hatchling." The winged alien replies.

"Right. Well I don't mind the babysitting. It's always fun to see a new planet with a developing species on it. Exciting, you know?" The Akatsuki asks.

Gaara nods. He decided to accept that explanation at face value. He didn't detect any hint of deception in Kisame's scent. However, just because someone wasn't lying, didn't mean they weren't lying by omission. The Kazekage was almost positive that the larger alien had an ulterior motive for agreeing to help him on this trip.

"I feel the same way." The Kage replies and shuffles his white feathers a bit.

Gaara looked similar to Naruto, but his coloration was very different. The red head suspected that was because Naruto had been born into a forested region of Konoha and he had been born in Suna.

The Kazekage had short blood red, slightly spiky hair. His eyes were aqua in color and surrounded by feral looking black rings around his eyes. Gaara's wings were pure white, much like a snow owl's in coloration. The Kage's talons were sharp and he rarely retracted them, preferring to go barefoot. Finally, his scaled tail was sandy in coloration.

"Gotta admit, I am curious to see what sort of human would catch the prince's attention." The Akatsuki confesses.

"As am I. If King Minato's statements are anything to go by, Naruto is completely smitten." He chuckles.

Leave it to Naruto to fall in love with a "newly" discovered species. Although their kind had discovered humans almost a century ago, that was nothing in the grand scheme of things. Most species that were known had been discovered at least thousands of years ago, some millions of years ago. Life flourished in the universe, it was just spread out over vast distances.

"So what about you, Sandy?" Kisame asks.

Gaara twitches at the nickname. His primary defense was sand. It responded to his will. Naruto's was wind. Most of their kind were somehow affiliated with an element or some part of nature. The Akatsuki seemed to delight in teasing Gaara about his affiliation with Sand by giving him this horrid "nickname."

"How many times, must I tell you not to address me as Sandy?" Gaara asks in an irritated tone.

"Oh as many as you like, but the nickname stays. It's cute. Just like you. Your species is weird. You have this instinctive mating thing going on. My people aren't nearly as complicated. If we see something we like, we go for it. I can't imagine looking at someone and just instantly knowing that's the one that I want to spend the rest of my life with. Did you find yourself a pretty bird girl yet?" He asks.

Gaara counts to three mentally and takes deep breaths. He knew that Kisame didn't mean any harm by it. His intentions were far from malicious, but it still irked him. How dare he mock one of the very foundations of his culture?! Mating was a concept that his people held to be very sacred and to the Akatsuki was treating it far too lightly for his liking!

"Kindly do not refer to the female members of my race as bird girls. That is highly insulting. But for your information, I have not." The Kazekage tries his best not to growl at Kisame.

"That's weird. Would have thought they'd go crazy for those pretty wings of yours and who doesn't love red heads?" He asks.

"If it's not a Mating, then all parties know that it is nothing more than physical gratification. While that is considered perfectly acceptable, most don't make a habit of overindulging in it. It is cruel to get attached to someone, if you know they aren't the one that you are supposed to be with." He explains.

Kisame didn't see what was wrong with indulging in physical gratification. It looked like the red head could use some. He was pretty tightly wound up today. He pawned it off to the man being worried about his friend bonding with someone from a species that they knew little about.

"Gaara, why don't you go rest in the back? I can keep up with this ship easily. You seem pretty high strung today." Kisame suggests.

"I am not high strung! You just…you just don't get it! It's not your fault. You're an Akatsuki. Your people just evolved differently." Gaara grumbles and heads to the back of the ship.

* * *

A few hours later, Itachi lands them on the island. Sasuke by this time had woken up and blushed when he felt Naruto's wings wrapped around him like a blanket. The Uchiha quickly undoes his seatbelt and gets out of the jet.

"Alright. This is Karin. She will provide your medical care, unless it is deemed serious enough that you have to be transported back for more intensive treatment. That man is Kakashi. He's another biologist. We hired him on because we view it as important to have an impartial biologist observing Naruto, in addition to Sasuke. You'll meet the rest of the staff once you are inside the research facility, which will serve as your home while you are here." Tsunade explains.

Naruto couldn't help but pout a bit at this knowledge. He thought he was going to be alone with Sasuke. Still he couldn't argue with the logic.

The blonde knew he should have expected this. There was no way that they were going to leave the first alien they had ever met alone with only one other person. Hmm well the island was pretty big. He was sure that he'd find a way to sneak off with his Mate for some alone time.

"I AM impartial! Are you questioning my professionalism?!" Sasuke demands.

"Sasuke, you are far too close to Naruto to be an impartial observer. I am not questioning your professionalism, but facts are facts. Besides, it's always good to get a second opinion." Tsunade explains.

Naruto could tell that Sasuke was less than happy about that answer. His Mate though, was a good subject. He wouldn't openly defy his "President" further, it seemed.

"Come on, Sasuke. Let's get you unpacked. It looks like we are going to be staying here for awhile." Itachi says as he heads off with Sasuke.

* * *

"You're staying too?" He asks in surprise.

"Of course. Someone has to make sure the facility is fully operational. Besides, I wanted to talk to you about Naruto. You know that he is very open about the fact he likes you. I don't think he's going to be satisfied with only kisses for long." His brother whispers.

Sasuke sighs and nods. Yeah, he knew. He did like kissing Naruto. It was a cosmic experience. He was gay. He knew he liked other men, but he had no idea what sex with the alien would be like.

"I know, but I do like him. I'm just a little unsure about how the mechanics would work." Sasuke confesses.

"I'd be concerned if you weren't. He's not a human, Sasuke. It doesn't matter how much he looks or talks like us, remember that. I do believe that he genuinely cares for you. I don't think that he would intentionally try to hurt you, but…" Itachi trails off.

Sasuke nods. He knew what his brother was trying to say. Thankfully, Itachi was being fairly tactful about it. However, he still didn't know what he was going to do or not do about a certain blue eyed alien.

"Yeah. Maybe I should be more direct about it and ask. I have a team here, if something goes wrong." Sasuke mutters.

* * *

Naruto decides to explore the island. He flies around and stretches his wings. Ah it felt so good to be able to soar through the skies again! Hmm maybe he'd find something nice for Sasuke!

It was annoying that he hadn't been able to fully court his Mate, yet. But he intended to fix that now. He does a dive and catches a rather large fish in his talons, before flying to the research facility.

"Hey, Kakashi. Where's the kitchen in this place?" Naruto beams at him.

"Oh follow me. I am still amazed at how well you speak English. You sound like a native speaker." He muses as he takes the blonde to the kitchen.

"Thanks. I acquired the language from Sasuke, so that's kinda expected. He's really smart. Hmm now how do I cook this fish?" Naruto wonders as he looks around the kitchen, trying to figure out how to use the primitive technology in the place.

He blinks. The alien was attempting to cook his food. Kakashi would make a mental note of that for later. So it seemed when given the option, Naruto didn't prefer raw meat. Interesting.

"I'll show you how to do it." He says and instructs Naruto in the basic ways of how to use a human kitchen.

"Ah thanks. Do you know if Sasuke likes fish?" He asks brightly.

"Well I don't know about Sasuke specifically, but most people do." Kakashi notes with a chuckle.

* * *

Not long after, Naruto heads off to find Sasuke's room. Naruto wondered why his Mate's scent had been slightly muted by water. When he got into the room, he got his answer. Sasuke had just walked out of the bathroom and clad presumably in only a bathrobe. His hair was soaking wet.

"Hey, Naruto." Sasuke greets him and suddenly wishes he had thrown on some real clothes and not just a bathrobe.

He knew that he had a very frisky alien standing only a few feet away from him. Sasuke was aware that he might be dangling a meat in front of a starving dog. He was really pushing his luck here.

"So did Kakashi show you around?" He asks awkwardly.

"Yeah. He showed me how to use the kitchen too. I got us some dinner. Caught it myself." Naruto says and shows him the fish.

"That was very sweet of you. You didn't have to actually hunt though. You know we do have food here?" Sasuke asks with a smile.

"I know. I kinda figured, but it means more if I catch it and I wanted to stretch my wings anyway." He explains.

Sasuke nods. He sits down on the bed and Naruto joins him. The blonde apparently wanted to hand feed him. It was romantic, if a little terrifying because he didn't know where Naruto's talons were.

"Oh guess we are inside now, so I can let the hologram go." He says and his something inside his shirt, causing his alien traits to reappear.

"Yeah." Sasuke nibbles at the food.

It was good. His mind just wasn't that focused on eating at the moment. What Itachi said was right. He probably should ask. Set some boundaries.

"You're heart is racing again. You're nervous. What's wrong? If you don't like it, I can always catch you something else to eat. The island looks like it has a lot of wildlife. I don't mind." Naruto says.

"Oh no. It's not about that. The food is great. It's about something else. Naruto, when you said you had found your Mate…" Sasuke begins and trails off, not exactly sure how to ask the question.

Naruto smiles. He pushes Sasuke onto his back and straddles him. Ah ha! So that's why he was nervous.

He just didn't know how to initiate Mating. It made sense, they were two different species. That was alright though. Naruto would show him.

"You have no idea how happy I am to be here with you, without the cameras. I wouldn't mind Claiming you in front of everyone. It's really erotic to think about, actually. But I know you are Mating Shy and would prefer us to be joined in private. I don't mind that either." Naruto says.

"So you really think that I'm your Mate?" Sasuke asks.

Naruto nods. He'd never been so sure about anything in his life. Jinchuuriki just instinctively recognized their Mate. It was hard to explain really. You just knew.

"I don't think you are my Mate. I know you are. I hope your Queen hasn't been putting stupid ideas into your head." He mutters in annoyance.

"Stupid ideas?" Sasuke inquires cautiously.

It looked like Naruto was less than thrilled with Tsunade about something. He had fallen asleep on the way to the island. Maybe she had said something to Naruto? Something that had irritated him?

"She thinks that I'd hurt you. Tsunade had the nerve to ask me if I viewed you as disabled!" He growls.

Sauske blinks. Disabled? What was he talking about? Why would Tsunade think Naruto would hurt him, unless she was worried about how the whole "joining" thing would happen. That would make sense.

"What'd she say exactly?" He asks.

"Asked if I thought you were disabled because you don't have talons and she won't come out and say it directly, but I know she's worried that I'll hurt you accidentally during Mating." The blue eyed alien answers in a rush.

Sasuke blinks. The thought had never occurred to him that Naruto might view him as somehow handicapped. It was a logical question, even if Tsunade seemed to have asked it in a tactless fashion.

"I take it that you don't view me as disabled then. Naruto, I know that you wouldn't hurt me on purpose. But I don't really know how your people…you know…" Sasuke trails off.

"I'd never view you as disabled. You are my Mate. You're perfectly healthy for a human. I wouldn't hurt you intentionally or unintentionally. My instincts wouldn't have picked you, if we weren't physically compatible." The alien replies.

Speaking of physically compatible, Sasuke decides to just get it over with. He had to find out sometime. He bit his lower lip. The youngest Uchiha wasn't sure how to ask this without sounding rude or like a complete pervert.

"Well that's good. Naruto, I just want to look. You know see for myself that we are compatible. Would you mind stripping? Just looking. That's all." Sasuke dares himself to ask.

Naruto would have preferred Sasuke ask without insisting that he just wanted to look. He wanted to touch his Mate and be touched by his Mate. Still it was a start.

If Sasuke had been a Jinchuuriki, Naruto figured they would already be flying in the sky and locked in a dance of passion. But he wasn't. He was human. It was natural he'd be a little skittish.

**Warning Anatomy Scene**

"I don't mind. If you decide you want to touch though, I'd prefer that to just looking." Naruto says, hopping off the bed and quickly stripping.

The blonde didn't see a reason to be bashful. They were Mates. He knew that Sasuke would be attracted to him. He'd never heard of a Mated pair not being so before. The blue eyed alien highly doubted they'd be the first.

"I'll keep that in mind." Sasuke murmurs.

Sasuke tries not to blush as he glances Naruto up and down. He had broad shoulders and very nice biceps. Okay, normal so far. His chest was muscular and he had an impressive six pack. Yup, he looked like an athletic human there too, other than an orange spiral tattoo along his stomach. But Sasuke decided he thought that was hot in a primal way. So far, so good.

That's when he looked down. Naruto was human looking down there too. Sasuke breathes a sigh of relief.

The Jinchuuriki possessed a cock that would make most male porn stars envious. It was large and thick. Thankfully, it wasn't…disturbingly so. Naruto was well endowed, but Sasuke figured if the Jinchuuriki wanted to take the reigns during intimacy, it would be safe to allow it.

**End Anatomy of Scene  
**

"You sound relieved. What were you expecting my dick to be made of nails or something?" Naruto asks in amusement.

"I don't know. You have wings, talons, and a tail. I wasn't sure what I was going to find. You look so…human." Sasuke says in a relieved tone.

Naruto smiles. He caresses Sasuke's cheek. It was nice to know that his Mate felt more reassured now. He trusted his instincts. If they said that Sasuke belonged to him, then they were physically compatible. But it was still nice to hear the other man say so out loud.

"You know, it's not really fair." He says as he kisses the human.

Sasuke kisses back. Naruto always kissed so passionately. It was enough to make him moan and he'd never had a reaction like that to something as innocent as a kiss before.

"What's not fair?" He asks, after breaking the kiss.

"Well you saw me naked, but I haven't been granted the same privilege. You're still dressed." Naruto clarifies.

The Uchiha bit his lower lip. The blonde alien had a point. Still he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. Naruto had respected that he only wanted to look, but not touch. But he felt like if he was naked, it might be a completely ballgame.

"You just want to look?" Sasuke asks.

"I want to do a whole lot more than that. But it's okay. I can behave. I know you are Mating Shy." Naruto says.

"I am NOT mating shy." Sasuke growls at him.

"Oh yeah? You wanna prove that?" Naruto taunts him.

Sasuke on some level realized he was being goaded, but he just didn't care at the moment. He pins Naruto to the bed. He'd show him Mating Shy. He kicks off bathrobe and was just about to do something when the door opened.

"So I take it that's your human?" Gaara asks in an amused tone.

"Well if they all look like that, I think Earth's going to end up as a very popular tourist destination." Kisame chimes in.

"Gaara! Kisame! What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asks and quickly covers up his Mate, with his feathers.

"We came to check on you. But it looks like you are busy getting well busy." Kisame says.

Sasuke blinks. He watches as the aliens communicated in some language, he didn't know. Naruto seemed to know them. The red head looked like he was the same species as Naruto, but the blue skinned one was a different case. He reminded Sasuke of a shark.

"Oh don't worry, Sasuke. That's Gaara and that's Kisame. They are my friends." Naruto beams..

"Great. Tell your blue skinned friend, not to eat me." Sasuke says.

"Don't worry. Kisame would never eat my Mate." Naruto reassures him and Sasuke slowly relaxes.

It seemed his life wasn't in danger. These two aliens were supposedly Naruto's friends. He couldn't understand a damn thing they were saying, but he got the tone.

They were teasing Naruto. It was probably a gentle ribbing. There was no need to have a heart attack or try to defend himself with the nearest pointy object.

"Oh yeah. You guys are going to want to acquire the language. Sasuke, don't be jealous. There's just no way that I'm going to let them kiss you. It's just to teach them. Okay?" Naruto asks.

Sasuke just nods dumbly. It was hard to be jealous when he was worried about the shark alien's teeth. Naruto walked over and kissed Gaara. Sasuke noted that it was more chaste than anything.

"Yeah, sorry. You're Mated. It'd be weird. So I think I'll stick with red head." Kisame says and shocks the Kazekage by kissing him.

Sasuke watches as the blue lights exchange between the three of them. It was so pretty and so utterly alien. Sasuke wished he had a camera on him to capture the ethereal sight.

He vaguely realized that being Naruto's "Mate" meant that things were never going to be the same for him again. Sights like that, were going to become his new normal. It was difficult to process, but he knew in his bones that was the truth.

"Fine by me. I didn't want to kiss you anyway, Fishbreath." Naruto teases him.

It shocked him to the core that he had just thought of himself as Naruto's Mate. It was one thing for Naruto to say it, it was another for him to THINK it. It was at that moment, that Sasuke knew he had crossed the point of no return.

He couldn't rationalize this as him just being nice to the alien to help with cultural exchange. On some level, he wanted Naruto. He wanted him as much as the alien wanted him. And that was more than a little terrifying.


	5. You're a Prince?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke learns more about Naruto's culture and other alien species.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notations: Serpentes are an alien species of giant snakes. I mention them briefly in this chapter. These are Manda's people. Also Sasuke and Nauto are not officially Mates yet, but Naruto views them as courting/dating. Sasuke does as well, though on a more subconscious level.

"I'm Gaara and this is Kisame. Forgive us for intruding. It's just that Queen Kushina was worried about her hatchling and sent us to make sure that the humans weren't treating Naruto poorly." He says smoothly.

"Um no worries. I'm Sasuke. Nice to meet you. Naruto is doing just fine. Wait QUEEN Kushina?" Sasuke asks in confusion, after the red head's introduction.

Naruto gives Gaara a dirty look. He hadn't exactly broached the subject yet. Sasuke didn't know he was royalty. The blue eyed alien didn't want to make his already skittish mate, balk. (Sasuke struck him as the type of person who would be really worried about Mating a Prince because of the political implications.)

"Yeah. His mother. She's such a mother hen, I swear. Blondie here is fully grown warrior. I've seen him slay Serpentes easily. Woman needs to relax a bit." Kisame says.

"Wait the Queen is Naruto's mother, but that would make Naruto a…" Sasuke trails off.

Gaara sighs. He smacks his forehead. Damn it. He just assumed that Naruto would have already told his Mate about his royal pedigree. This was going to get awkward and quickly.

"A prince, yeah. Surprise?" Naruto asks nervously.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. It seems I have overstepped my grounds. I just assumed that you had already told him. Usually a title is rather helpful in winning over a Mate. Forgive me, my friend?" The white winged Jinchuuriki apologizes.

Naruto couldn't be mad at Gaara. It was a logical assumption. He knew that the Kazekage hadn't meant anything malicious by it.

"There's nothing to forgive. It was going to come out sooner or later." Naruto says.

Sasuke blinks. Not only were there three aliens in the same room as him, one of them was apparently royalty. He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

That's when he realized something. He had just asked a prince to show him the _royal jewels._ Fuck! He might have just have caused a war!

"That would have been good to know about ten minutes ago." Sasuke mutters and tries to hide his blush.

"Sasuke, don't be like that. I don't want my title to change anything between us. Besides, don't humans really like princes in their fairy tales? Shouldn't you be happy?" The blonde alien asks.

"Kisame, perhaps we should speak with Naruto another time. It seems he and his Mate have to discuss a few things. They'd probably appreciate their privacy." The red head says.

Sasuke shakes his head. No way. The chance to observe two Jinchuuriki and whatever Kisame was, was too good to pass up. The scientist in him was very curious. He wondered if Gaara and Kisame would be as talkative as their "prince."

"No. It's okay. I mean my people are very interested in learning more about other species. Are you willing to stay for observation? I promise that you'll be treated well and we would answer your questions. It's only fair." Sasuke says.

Gaara chuckles. Minato hadn't been kidding when he said that Sasuke was a scholar. He recognized that look well. His sister's Mate was also a scholar and sometimes got it when working on a new project.

"Well I can't speak for Kisame, but I suppose I could stay. Humans have already discovered Jinchuuriki. I doubt there isn't anything that you would ask Naruto, that he wouldn't answer." The Kazekage muses.

Naruto nods his head in agreement at this. He wouldn't keep anything from his Mate. Well not for long anyway. He had been planning on telling Sasuke about his royal status, the blonde just had been waiting for the right time to do it. That was all.

"I'm good. If the Akatsuki wasn't comfortable with humans knowing about us, they wouldn't have approved me for this mission." He states.

"So that's what you call your species? You're an Akatsuki?" Sasuke asks curiously.

"Yep. Don't worry. The Jinchuuriki are interesting and all, but our kind are much more fun." Kisame says smugly and receives dirty looks from Gaara and Naruto for that comment.

Sasuke pauses. If the others saw two new aliens walking around, they'd probably panic. He wondered if they could cloak themselves like Naruto.

"Naruto has this thing, called cloaking. He uses it to hide his alien features. Can you guys do that too? I mean at least until I explain that you are friendly. I don't want to cause a panic." Sasuke asks.

Gaara nods. He reaches into his pocket and hits something. Soon enough the red head's wings, talons, and tail are hidden. He keeps the markings around his eyes though.

"Shouldn't you get rid of those too?" Kisame asks.

"I don't think it's necessary. Humans have mascara and eyeliner here. It's makeup they put around their eyes. They'd probably just assume I was wearing that." The other alien replies.

Naruto shrugs. He nods his head in consent. If Gaara wanted to keep his markings visible, let him. It was really the least of their worries.

"Alright, Kisame. Your turn now. You heard what Sasuke said. You don't want to scare people." The blonde informs him.

Kisame presses something inside his pocket as well. Sasuke blinks at the stunning transformation. The gills disappeared and his skin was no longer blue. It was the same shade as Itachi's actually. Kisame's teeth were now human and somehow he had "shrunk" himself down to six feet.

"You can shrink yourselves?!" Sasuke asks.

"Oh yeah. Sure. Temporarily anyway. It's jus at matter of compacting the matter. Matter can neither be created, nor destroyed. But you can change how it manifests itself." Kisame replies.

Sasuke was stunned. He knew that alien technology was advanced, but not that advanced. It made him wonder what else the aliens were capable of. What if the next time an alien showed up, it wasn't a friendly Jinchuuriki or even Akatsuki? What if the next alien that appeared was less friendly and decided to attack humans using God only knows what sorts of advanced technology? They'd be sitting ducks!

"Anyway, we didn't mean to interrupt your Mating. Have fun. You are in for it, kid. Naruto's stamina is insane out in the field. I imagine he's just as enthusiastic about sex as he is exploring. Naruto, try not to screw your human's brains out. He seems smart." Kisame says and heads off.

"I really do apologize for his lack of manners. Kisame has always operated with absolutely no filter and has never cared about etiquette." Gaara says.

"Um it's alright. See you in the morning?" Sasuke asks and the red head nods, before darting off.

* * *

Naruto smiles. Well that went better than expected. He was relieved Sasuke was taking this so well.

UMPF! Suddenly, Naruto was pinned to the bed. He blinks and looks up in his Mate in confusion. Sasuke had just tackled him onto the bed. Alright, maybe he wasn't taking it as well as he thought.

"You should have told me! Naruto, you're a prince!" Sasuke growls at him.

"Yeah. I know. I was going to tell you, but I didn't know how. I didn't want to scare you off with the pedigree. Doesn't matter to me that you aren't royalty. You're my Mate and perfect just the way you are. You don't need to be nervous. I'm sure my parents are going to adore you, just like I do." He says in a rush.

Sasuke sighs. Great. Just great. Not only was an alien claiming to be in love with him. An alien who also happened to be a prince!

If things didn't work out between them, it might mean war. Why couldn't Naruto just be some hot college student or a new hire at NASA? It would have been so much easier!

His eyes soften when he sees Naruto's wings. No, it wasn't right to think that. Naruto was Naruto. Him being an alien was just part of who he was.

Sasuke bit his lower lip. It made things complicated, but he couldn't regret his feelings for the blonde. He was amazing. Sasuke just wasn't sure how this was supposed to work out.

"Naruto, that's very sweet. But there are important things to consider. Our species are just getting to know each other. It might not be a good idea for a human to get involved with a Jinchuuriki prince." Sasuke says.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Naruto asks.

"Yes! No! I don't know! It's just really complicated. I mean even if you weren't a prince, we are different species. It'd be hard to make it work, but now you're a prince! What if your people don't like me? You think I'm your Mate, but that doesn't mean they'll want you to be with someone from another species. A species that they seem to view as primitive at that!" He says.

Naruto sighs. He knew that his Mate was raising valid points. He was a scholar after all, so it was to be expected he'd take a more analytical approach to Mating than most.

"Sasuke, I'm a Jinchuuriki. My people understand about Mating. They'd accept you because you are my Mate. Your species doesn't matter to us. A Mate is a Mate. You don't need to worry about that. You don't need to worry about anything." Naruto says and kisses him.

He didn't like seeing his Mate in distress. It stressed him out. Naruto understood that humans were different. They didn't really have the same instincts as his people.

It was hard to put into words, how sacred finding your other half was to his people. He knew that eventually Sasuke would understand though. But for now, he just wanted to soothe away his anxieties.

"Naruto, there is no way that things are that simp-" Sasuke is cut off by the kiss.

Naruto smiles into it and flips them, as he deepened it. It felt like it had been forever since he last kissed the other man. He tasted just as good as he remembered. It was addicting.

Sauske moans into the kiss, feeling Naruto's tongue glide against his in a rather primal seduction. It really was just impossible to resist the blonde's kissing. They were just so all consuming, passionate, possessive, and yet reverent at the same time.

"You don't really want to break up with me, do you?" Naruto asks once he breaks the kiss.

"No. I don't. Not really. I just don't want to make things difficult between our people. That's all." He admits.

Sasuke mentally kicked himself. By saying he didn't want to break up, he was basically saying that they were dating. Well courting or whatever the fuck Naruto called it. Damn it. That hadn't been his brightest move.

"It won't. It can only make things better. Once they see that we are similar enough to bond with humans, that will go a long way towards strengthening ties. Of course, I understand that it's going to take awhile before humans are ready to know about us, but that's okay. I don't want you to worry." Naruto says and caresses his cheek.

Sasuke nods. God help him, he was falling for an alien. An alien prince at that. Life had just gotten really weird.

* * *

The next morning, Sasuke goes to find Tsunade. It was probably easier to tell her that new aliens had arrived and let her make the announcement. A time saver. Besides, people were less likely to flip, if the President was calm about the situation.

"Ah good morning, Sasuke." She greets him.

"Good morning. Um I don't now how to say this exactly. But I think we should talk in private." Sasuke tells her and Tsunade nods, leading him to an empty room.

"What is it? Did Naruto hurt you?" She demands to know.

Sasuke shakes his head. If there was one thing that he was almost confident of now, it was the fact that the prince would hurt him. Well at least not intentionally.

"No. But it seems that two of his friends showed up. Another is like him. The second is a completely new species. They are both friendly. Both of them are using cloaking technology. I didn't want to cause people to freak out. Gaara and Kisame seem friendly. I don't think they are a threat. I wanted to inform you though. The two of them have agreed to stay, like Naruto." He says in a rush.

Tsunade's eyes widen. Two new aliens and one of them was from a different species?! This was incredible.

"You mean we've had two aliens walking around this base, for the entire night and no one even realized it?" She demands.

"Yeah. That's exactly what I mean. They are cloaking. Don't worry though. Their both cool, I think." Sasuke says.

Tsunade smacks her forehead. She couldn't believe that Sasuke had just referred to two aliens as cool. It was as if he though they were just some random people he had met in the bar. What was wrong with him?!

"Don't worry?! Did it ever occur to you that we know almost nothing about Naruto? If these aliens can blend in perfectly with humans, who is to say that there aren't more of them here? How do we know that it's only the three of them or that their intentions are purely benevolent?" The President thunders at him.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto heads to the kitchen. He knew that Sasuke wanted to talk to his Queen. So he figured he might as well get them something to eat while they waited. He was surprised to see Itachi there.

"I figured that you would come here eventually. Everyone has to eat." Itachi offers a nervous smile.

"Yeah. That's true. Hey, Itachi." Naruto greets him cheerfully and frowns when he notices the human seemed nervous about something.

"I'll just be blunt. I know that you mentioned you want to claim my brother and that your kind mate in a similar fashion to ours. I won't lie though. I have concerns. You are from two completely different species. You should hurt each other without meaning to and I don't just mean physically." The elder Uchiha summons up all his courage to say.

Naruto sighs. He supposed it was a good thing everyone was so worried about Sasuke. It showed that he was well cared for.

It was a bit annoying though. Humans appeared to be a slow species. But he was sure, eventually they'd come to understand that nothing bad was going to happen to Sasuke while he was around.

"Itachi, I'm not going to hurt Sasuke. He's my Mate. I love him. I know humans are different than my people. You don't have the same instincts, but to us that means something important. I know you are just worried about him. You're just trying to be a good big brother. I'll take care of him. So don't worry." The blonde says.

"And if he says no? If he isn't interested in whatever sort of relationship you have in mind?" Itachi dares himself to ask.

Naruto seemed very friendly at the moment. But Sasuke hadn't given him cause to believe he was being rejected. He had no reason to lose it. If Sasuke turned him down though, Itachi knew that could change quickly.

"It's almost unheard of for a Mating not to be successful. But if he really didn't want me, I wouldn't force him. I'm not that evil." Naruto growls in annoyance.

"Good. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything, but I am worried about him. I know that I'm not the only one." The elder Uchiha says.

Naruto was about to respond to that when he heard Tsunade yelling. He could hear his Mate as well, but he was being quieter. Naruto growls and takes off towards the source of the fighting.

* * *

_""Don't worry?! Did it ever occur to you that we know almost nothing about Naruto? If these aliens can blend in perfectly with humans, who is to say that there aren't more of them here? How do we know that it's only the three of them or that their intentions are purely benevolent?"_ The busty blonde yelled at Sasuke.

Naruto's eyes flashed gold. He was instantly standing between the two of them. He wasn't going to let this go.

"Don't you ever yell at him like that again for something that isn't even his fault! If you've got a problem with me, Kisame, or Gaara, you can take it up with us. Don't bully him, just because your scared!" He practically snarls.

Sasuke blinks. Naruto's eyes were golden now and he didn't think that was just a trick of the light. The blonde's wings were completely unfolded and flapping in an angry fashion, making the blue eyed alien look even bigger than he already was. Sasuke likened it to a house cat puffing up in fury.

"Naruto! You can't just invite your friends here without telling us. What if something had happened? There could have been a misunderstanding! Someone could have gotten killed!" She scolds him.

Naruto's wings were flapping fast and furious now. It felt like a strong gust of wind was actually blowing inside the building. Sasuke didn't need to know much about the alien's species to realize that he was showing a display of aggression and Tsunade didn't seem to realize what was going on. This could end very badly.

"Madam President, it's over now. Gaara and Kisame haven't done anything. They were here all night and nothing happened. I'm sure that Naruto will do better about notifying you in the future." Sasuke pleads.

It was then that Tsunade looked at Naruto. She could see his talons were flexing. He was basically clenching his fist like how someone might do before throwing a punch. Damn it.

"Very well. I think we can overlook it this once. But please, Naruto be more careful." She urges him.

"I will be." Naruto mutters in annoyance and Sasuke drags him off.

* * *

He definitely didn't want to see a _Battle of the Blondes._ Normally, he was confident in Tsunade's ability to handle herself. She wouldn't stand a chance against a truly angry Naruto though. She had to know that deep down. That was why she let him lead the alien off.

"You okay? I know that you got pretty mad back there. It's not like you." Sasuke says once they were alone in his room.

The younger Uchiha places his hand against Naruto's cheek. While he was far from an expert on alien life at the moment, he figured that his touch would probably calm Naruto down. The blue eyed man did seem to go out of his way to maintain physical contact with him, after all.

"She shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It wasn't your fault. I didn't even know they were coming." He mutters though Sasuke smiles in relief, when he felt Naruto lean into the caress against his cheek.

"She's just really stressed out right now. This is historical, Naruto. No one quite knows what to do. There's no handbook for how to deal with discovering other life forms from different planets." Sasuke says.

Naruto shakes his head. He hands Sasuke something. Sasuke blinks. It was a book. He opened it curiously. The Uchiha frowns when he realized he couldn't read a word of it. It was in some alien language.

"Don't worry. Translate to English." Naruto says, touching the front of the book.

There was a white stone on it. It looked like a diamond. Sasuke notes with alarm that Naruto seemed to have cut himself on it. The diamond now looked like a sapphire. Was that Naruto's blood?!

"Naruto, is that your blood? Are you bleeding?" Sasuke asks.

"Yeah. It is. Don't worry. Humans have red blood. We have blue blood. By giving the book a sample, it now knows what I know. It'll be able to translate the book into English for you. Kissing is a lot more fun, but the book doesn't really have a mouth, so yeah." He says.

Sasuke didn't know what to say about that. Though he supposed it did give a whole new meaning to the phrase _Blue bloods._ His lips twitch upwards in amusement at the thought.

"Anyway, you said there is no handbook. There is. This is just something that we've used as a basic guideline for awhile. I am sure every species that knows their not alone, has one. This is ours. It's really helpful." Naruto continues.

"And you're giving it to me…to keep?" Sasuke asks in disbelief.

Naruto nods. He didn't know why his Mate was so shocked. The blonde couldn't deny the gorgeous human anything.

"If it makes you happy, yeah. I have another copy anyway. Besides, I got most of it memorized by heart. I'm a member of the Warrior Class." The blue eyed alien says.

Sasuke tilts his head to the side. Naruto was a warrior? He didn't seem very aggressive. Suddenly, he was really glad that he got Naruto away from Tsunade. Things could have ended even worse than he imagined.

"When you say Warrior Class…does that include conquering other planets?" He asks cautiously.

"Well it's an old term. Really, we haven't been to war in a long time. We are more like explorers now. But we keep in good shape, just in case. Very few species are dumb enough to mess with us." He says happily.

Sasuke nods. His eyes drifted to Naruto's talons. He could see why. Naruto could fly. Sasuke hadn't seen it yet, but those talons coming at you from up above, that was truly the stuff of nightmares.

"Good to know. I don't really like the thought of you having to go off to war. I don't want you to get hurt." Sasuke says.

"Don't worry. It's not likely to happen and even if I did, I'm a Nine Tails." He says proudly.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. Apparently that was supposed to mean something. But as he looked at Naruto, he only saw one tail. What was his boyfriend (if you could call Naruto that) talking about?

"Warrior class members have ranks. Much like how human armies have different ranks like Generals and cadets. One tails are new recruits and generally considered the weakest. Nine Tails is our highest rank." He explains.

"So is Gaara also a member of the warrior class? What rank is he?" Sasuke asks.

Naruto shakes his head. He knew that Gaara would have liked to have been a warrior. But the red head was born into the ruling class and had grown to love his current occupation.

"He's a member of the ruling class. It's a bit complicated." The blonde says.

"But you're a prince. Aren't you a member of the ruling class?" Sasuke asks in confusion.

"No. There are two parts to our government. The Monarchy, which is determined by birthright or you can Mate into it. Then there's the Ruling Class. You are born as a member of the ruling class, but there are different ranks in it. There are five Kages who lead it. These are elected positions. Gaara is the Kazekage. That means he manages the day to day affairs of Suna, which I guess would be like your world's version of Africa or the Middle East." The blonde tries to explain.

Sasuke nods. It was a lot to absorb. It was clear that despite his animalistic instincts, Naruto did come from a complex culture. They had what appeared to be a rather elaborate system of government. It was based both on birthright and merit.

"What about Kisame?" He inquires.

"Um well the Akatsuki are a little different than us. Humans would probably call them pirates. Our people have a good relationship with them though and sometimes employ their services for important missions. The reverse is true, of course." Naruto replies.

Sasuke nods. Yeah, he could see Kisame as some sort of alien pirate. Maybe that explained the teeth. He shudders as he remembered how lethal they looked. For some reason, Kisame's teeth were more intimidating to him than Naruto's talons. (Probably because Kisame wasn't trying to seduce him.)

"Pirate Shark, got it." He mutters.

"The thing you have to remember about the Akatsuki is they are first and foremost hunters. They are like the sharks on your planet that way. They live for adventure. Most of the time they are a mercenary species, but if you can actually gain their loyalty…" Naruto trails off.

"They're very loyal. Got it. So any other alien species that I should know about?" Sasuke muses.

Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly. The universe was about to get a whole lot bigger for his Mate. He wasn't entirely certain that Sasuke was ready to find out what was out there yet. But he had already given him the book, so there was no turning back now.

"Sasuke, there are likely tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of species out there. The universe is just so vast, that finding another one is something like finding a needle in a haystack. But there are a Hell of a lot of haystacks." The prince tries to explain.

"Oh. I think I understand now." Sasuke murmurs as he looks into the book and immediately shuts it.

Naruto was curious about Sasuke's reaction. He opens the book and looks at the page that Sasuke had been looking at. He laughs. Poor Sasuke.

"Um yeah. We do try to list some of the more important species in that guidebook. That's a pair of Serpentes mating. Yeah, you have bad luck. They're pretty gross." Naruto says.

"Yeah. I see that." Sasuke says and tries not to throw up, as he remembered the image of the giant serpent like creatures, mating as Naruto called it. (It was like some animal documentary that had decided to turn into a horror show.)

"Yeah. Not all species are as hot as ours." Naruto says.

"Or as modest." Sasuke notes with a smirk.

Naruto laughs. He wraps his arms around Sasuke and watches as the human cautiously reopens the book. This time it was explaining about the adaptation to learn other languages automatically. The Knowledge Kiss was apparently the name of that little trick.

"Well at least that page wasn't traumatizing. Thank you." Sasuke says and kisses Naruto's cheek.

"Anything for you. If I had known books would make you so happy, I would have just have taken you back to my world. Our Royal Library is the envy of many scholarly species." He says.

Sasuke blinks. Had Naruto just offered to take him back to his home planet? He was pretty sure that he did.

"Would that even be possible? Is it safe for a human to travel that far?" He asks.

"Yeah. It's definitely possible. Your body is so similar to ours, that I don't see why it wouldn't be. But I'll have Gaara run the simulations to be sure. Don't worry, our simulations top notch." He says happily.

Sasuke bit his lower lip. Could he really do it? Could he go to another planet and actually live to tell the tale? Naruto was inviting him to see his world and to do something that no human had ever done before, go to another galaxy.

"Maybe. I'll have to think about it." He mumbles uncertainly.

"No pressure. But I've seen some of your world. It's only fair that you can see some of mine." He reasons and Sasuke nods in agreement. (When Naruto put it that way, it made a lot of sense.)


	6. Starstruck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara finds his Mate as Naruto continues teaching Sasuke more about alien races and technology.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Later that day, Itachi looks at Sasuke as if he believed his younger brother had lost his mind. That was the only logical explanation. Why else would he allow two unknown aliens to wander around the research facility for an entire night without alerting someone?

"You are telling me that there's another Jinchuuriki here and an Akatsuki? What the Hell is an Akatsuki?!" Itachi demands.

"Yeah. I didn't know what else to do. It was really late and Naruto says they are his friends. So it seemed safe. As for your other question, it appears an Akatsuki is an alien species that resembles a shark. You know if a shark mated with a human and had a baby." Sasuke explains as he was watching Itachi make some minor repairs to the air conditioning system.

Itachi tries to picture that in his head. He really did. Every scenario seemed rather frightening, honestly. It was one thing to have an alien that resembled a bird/angel. It was completely different to have one that looked like a shark.

"When you say he looks like a shark, what do you mean exactly?" Itachi asks cautiously.

"Blue skin, gills, very sharp teeth. Oh and he's really tall. I'd say about eight feet." Sasuke replies and Itachi gulps.

This did raise lots of interesting question though. There were at least three intelligent life forms in the universe. Humans, Jinchuuriki, and now Akatsuki. If there were three, there were probably more. His mind boggled at the possibilities.

"Fascinating. Do you know why another Jinchuuriki and an Akatsuki showed up?" His elder brother asks.

"I guess Naruto's mother was worried about him. According to them, they were just checking in to make sure that Naruto was safe. I guess some things really are universal. Mother hens being one of them." Sasuke says with a chuckle.

While that was slightly amusing to note, Itachi was thought they had much bigger things to worry about. At least two alien species had visited their planet now. There could be more coming.

"Sasuke, I think you are missing the larger point here." Itachi chides him gently.

"I'm not. I'm worried about other alien species to. Naruto says there are possibly hundreds of millions of them, but finding one is like finding a needle in a haystack. There are just a lot of haystacks out there. If he says we are safe, I believe him." Sasuke states.

"I don't think that Naruto would lie to you, but that doesn't mean he can't be wrong. If his species and the Akatsuki can find us, who is to say that the next batch of aliens will be anywhere near as friendly?" Itachi asks.

Sasuke sighs. He understood Itachi's point. He had thought it himself. But there really wasn't anything they could do about it.

"Itachi, we are apparently in the middle of the food chain when it comes to technology. If the other species want to destroy us, there's nothing we can do about it. You've seen what Naruto can do. He can alter his appearance, he can fly, those talons could shred someone to ribbons, and that's just for starters. He hasn't come out and said this, but I think he's from an entirely different galaxy. His people can travel across galaxies! If they want to, they could easily squash us like bugs." Sasuke says.

"And that's supposed to be comforting?!" His brother demands.

"No, but there's nothing we can do about it. It's probably a good idea to make nice with the aliens. Naruto says I'm his Mate. He thinks that is just automatically accepted amongst his people. I guess that applies to the Akatsuki as well, to a certain extent. Kisame even teased me about our future sex life. So it's a start. We might be able to forge strong friendships between the species." His younger brother reasons.

Itachi sighs and nods. That was a more positive way to look at it. He realized that Sasuke was right. Any species that could travel across galaxies, was clearly more advanced than their own at a technological level.

That and they really had no idea how many "Narutos" were out there. Those talons would tear even the strongest soldier apart, Itachi noted. There really wasn't much they could do, other than hope that most aliens were as friendly as his brother's blonde.

"You're right." Itachi says after awhile.

"Life would be so much easier, if you would just realize that in the first place. I'm always right." Sasuke says smugly.

"Don't get too cocky, foolish little brother." The mechanical engineer says and flicks his forehead, causing his brother to yip and give him a rather dirty look for that move.

* * *

Meanwhile Kisame and Gaara were in being observed by the scientists. They were rather inquisitive people, Gaara noted. He scarcely could answer one question before five more were asked. The red head didn't mind though, he was enjoying his lunch.

The Queen informed him that it was called a cheeseburger. The Kazekage was content to answer questions and consume many of these cheeseburgers. Kisame was enjoying something called sushi. (Which apparently was what humans called raw fish.)

"Where do you come from?" Tsunade asks.

"I come from the planet called Konoha. Kisame comes from Vermillion." Gaara answers.

Tsunade nods. She quickly writes that down. There was so much that she wanted to ask them. The busty blonde knew that the others at the research facility felt the same way.

"Doesn't Vermillion mean red?" She asks.

"Yeah. It's primarily a water planet, but our skies have red clouds. That's where it got the name from." Kisame offers.

Hmm red clouds, but mostly a water world. How strange, Tsunade thought to herself. The President continues making notes.

"Well this is fun, eh Gaara? We are like celebrities." Kisame muses and the red head makes a quiet snort of amusement at his friend's comparison.

He couldn't entirely disagree. It was fun to be the center of attention. The humans seemed to view them as some kind of Gods or miracles. The Kazekage didn't mind indulging them. Humans reminded him of Hatchlings, they were curious about everything and so easily pleased.

"A little bit." He concedes.

The Kage knew that if he agreed with Kisame too much, he'd get smug. He shakes his head at the thought. A smug Akatsuki could be rather annoying. Gaara strove to maintain minimum annoyance levels, whenever possible.

"Why did you come here?" One of the scientists asks.

"To make sure that Naruto was safe and well." Gaara replies automatically.

"So you are friends with Naruto then?" A second scientist dares himself to inquire.

Kisame noted that probably took all his courage to do so. The man kept glancing at his teeth and Gaara's talons. They had undone their cloaks. So the humans were treated to the view of their true forms.

Honestly, the blue skinned alien didn't know how humans defended themselves. Their teeth were so dull. They didn't have any claws. They looked rather vulnerable. Kisame knew there had to be something he was missing. Their population was too large for them not to have any methods of self-defense.

"Of course. Naruto and I have been friends since we were Hatchlings. Kisame has fought alongside Naruto for years." Gaara replies as he takes a sip of some human beverage known as pop.

He suddenly felt rather hyper. His wings twitched. Maybe a flight around the island would help. The red head felt illogically giddy.

"Oh dear. I guess caffeine really impacts Jinchuuriki. Good thing we didn't give him coffee." Tsunade muses.

"Excuse me. I believe I should go "work off" the effects of the caffeine." Gaara says and Tsunade nods.

* * *

Gaara heads off. He quickly leaves the building and takes to the sky. It felt good to stretch his snowy white wings. The warmth of the sun also felt good against his feathers. There was nothing like the feeling of soaring through the sky.

He felt giddy from the caffeine and does several dives. This was the Jinchuuriki version of doing cartwheels when you were extremely happy. It was truly a joyous activity. He didn't even notice at first that he was being watched from below.

"Sasuke, look!" Itachi says as the brothers were walking out of the building.

Sasuke looks up into the sky. His brother was pointing towards something. Well it turned out to be someone. It was Gaara. Gaara was flying. Sasuke gasps.

"That's Gaara. He's flying." Sasuke says in awe.

He knew that Naruto COULD fly, but he had never seen him do it. There was something really beautiful about witnessing it though. The red head's pristine white wings were stunning against the backdrop of the clear blue sky.

Gaara looked like he was diving. Sasuke vaguely wondered if the red head was hunting. (Naruto had caught him a fish after all, so it was reasonable to expect the red head might also be hunting.)

"That he definitely is." Itachi says in the same stunned voice as his brother.

Finally, Gaara realizes he was being watched. Hmm he was being watched by two humans. One was clearly Sasuke's Mate. He recognized the scent. The other he didn't know. Curious, he lands and decides to investigate.

"Hey, Gaara. This is my brother, Itachi." Sasuke says, once the alien was close enough to have a conversation with.

"Pleasure." Gaara says simply, at first.

That's when he made the mistake of looking at Sasuke's brother. Gaara almost forgot how to breathe, when he did so. The red head viewed Sasuke as very attractive, but he wasn't his Mate. There were similarities between the brothers, but also differences.

Sasuke to Gaara was simply very attractive. Itachi was breathtaking. He was sure that Naruto felt the same in reverse. If he hadn't seen the other scientists, the Kazekage would have assumed that all humans were stunning creatures. Now though, he knew that they were just a very diverse species when it came to physical appearance.

"I didn't clock it, but you looked as though you had a dive speed equal to that of a falcon." Itachi muses.

"That sounds accurate." Gaara agrees.

Damn it! Why was this happening to him?! It was one thing for Naruto to Mate with a human, but Gaara had always assumed his Mate would be from the same species as himself. Not that he had anything against interspecies Matings, it was just they were more complicated.

You had to bring together two cultures or one Mate would have to assimilate with the other. Often this meant that at least one member of the Mated pair had to move to the other's planet. It meant leaving behind everything that you had ever known. It could put a major strain on a relationship.

"Yeah. You were fast." Sasuke observes.

Both Uchiha brothers were completely oblivious to the red head's inner turmoil. Gaara barely knew anything about humans. Itachi knew just as little about his species. But despite the logical incompatibility of the Mating Link, it wouldn't be denied. It took all his self control not to reach out and touch his Mate. He was truly a beautiful creature. He could only hope that Itachi was as accepting as Sasuke was.

"Yes. Have you seen Naruto?" Gaara asks.

"Hmm I think he was going to get some medical tests done. Try the medical lab." Sasuke suggests and Gaara nods, darting off.

* * *

Itachi tilts his head. Well Jinchuuriki did appear to be very social creatures. They clearly made efforts to seek each other out and understood the concept of friendship.

When Gaara arrived in the medical lab, Naruto was just getting done giving a blood sample. The blonde smiles at his friend. Then he frowns when he noticed something was off. The Kazekage looked like he was just a minute or two away from panicking.

"Gaara, what's wrong?" The blue eyed alien asks.

"I need to speak with you in private. It's important." He says and Karin looked rather interested at this.

Gaara shoots her a glare. Any thoughts she might have had about listening in, were instantly dispelled. She definitely didn't want to upset an alien with talons that sharp.

"Um alright. Come on. I found some caves on the other side of the island. That should give us some privacy to talk about whatever." Naruto says as he heads off with his friend.

Soon they arrive at the cave. The two friends sit down. The young prince gives his friend a look that told him without words to _spill it._

"I found my Mate." The red head says simply.

"Really?! That's wonderful! Who is it? Male or female? What species?!" His friend asks excitedly.

"Male. Human. Sasuke calls him Itachi." Gaara says.

Naruto blinks. He hadn't seen that coming. His best friend was in love with his Mate's brother?

"Well that's great news! Itachi seems cool. I mean he worries too much, but he seems nice. Very smart too!" Naruto offers.

"He's a human, Naruto. He knows nothing of our ways and I know nothing of his. Don't you see how that is going to be an issue?" The red head asks.

Naruto shakes his head. Sure, having a Mate from another species was awkward. But a Mate was a Mate. Sooner or later, he knew they'd be able to sort out the details.

"So? You can just teach each other, like me and Sasuke." The blonde says.

"He appears to be more cautious than his brother. I'm not certain he will be nearly as accepting as Sasuke was." Gaara says and mentally winces.

The thought of being rejected by his Mate, was utterly terrifying. He knew that he should trust his instincts. They were there for a reason.

He smiles as he thought of his Mate's magnificent smoky gray eyes and his silky looking hair. He was taller than Gaara was and had a lithe muscular build. The red head assumed he was a scholar. His hair wasn't spiked, but his build could have been that of a warrior class. Hmm maybe he was a member of the ruling class like him?

"Don't worry about it. Yeah, it might be a slow courtship process. But it'll happen." Naruto says cheerfully.

"Hopefully. I know what happens when Matings are unsuccessful." Gaara states.

Both aliens go quiet. They realized what happened when Matings were unsuccessful. Usually one or both went insane. It wasn't unheard of for the almost Mated pair to lose the will to continue on.

"That won't happen. He's Sasuke's brother. So he's awesome by default. He'll understand eventually. Maybe just break it to him slowly." The blonde suggests and Gaara nods.

"It's selfish of me to keep you away from your Mate. You should go and see Sasuke. I'll be alright." The Kazekage assures him.

"Alright, if you're sure. If you need anything though, come get me. I mean it." Naruto says as he flies off.

* * *

"Sasuke, your alien is coming." Itachi notes in amusement a few moments later when Naruto is seen racing towards them.

Sasuke shakes his head in amusement. It was still so surreal. He had an alien boyfriend, sorta. But at the same time, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"Hey, Naruto." Sasuke says.

"Hey. So I was wondering, if you wanted to continue where we left off last night. You know before Kisame and Gaara showed up." Naruto asks brightly.

Sasuke felt his face heating up. He couldn't believe the blonde had asked that in front of Itachi. Then again, his brother had no idea what the blue eyed alien was referencing.

"Um sure. Itachi, if the President asks where I am, tell her that I'm doing some research with Naruto." Sasuke says and Itachi nods.

Sasuke sighs in relief. Thank God, Itachi didn't ask what Naruto was talking about. He knew the engineer would never let him live it down. Sasuke heads off with Naruto and they soon arrive back in his room.

"Alright. I guess it is only fair. Remember JUST looking." Sasuke says and shuts the door behind them.

* * *

"Well I'd prefer to do a lot more than looking, but yeah. I can behave. I'm not an animal." The prince replies.

Sasuke found that whole, _"I'm not an animal,"_ thing debatable. Naruto clearly had some animal instincts and features. He decided not to actually say that though. He didn't want to offend him.

"Alright." Sasuke says and slowly strips.

Suddenly, Naruto really wished he hadn't promised not to touch. Fuck! His Mate was even more stunning without his clothes. Sasuke's chest was well sculpted and he had a very nice "six pack" as humans called it. His backside was firm too! Best of all, his Mate was really well endowed and the blonde knew that he wasn't fully aroused either.

"I'm really glad that I decided to check out Earth early. I might have missed you otherwise." Naruto says.

Sauske tries not to blush. It was hard though. People had checked him out before, but never with the same level of intensity that Naruto did.

Naruto stared at him in the way a starving dog might look at a steak. He shivers a bit and reaches for his clothes. Naruto uses his wings to cover the clothes, so Sasuke couldn't grab them as easily.

"Surprised your Queen hasn't ordered you to be skyclad all the time." Naruto says.

"Skyclad?" Sasuke asks in confusion.

"Your people would call it naked." Naruto clarifies and Sasuke nods.

Sasuke didn't really know how to respond to that. Clearly, Naruto was saying in his own way he thought Sasuke was attractive. But he also didn't want to say anything that Naruto might take as an invitation to pounce. He just wasn't ready for that yet.

"Think you could stay this way for awhile? I can keep you warm with my wings." Naruto offers.

"Naruto, it's Hawaii. I'm not likely to get cold, but I appreciate the offer anyway. But alright, maybe for a little bit." Sasuke says and he swore that Naruto made a sound that sounded like a _"Yay."_

He shakes his head in amusement. Sasuke lays on the bed. Naruto hops up beside him and wraps his wings around him. Sasuke stretches and burrows against those. Who needed blankets when you had alien feathers to snuggle into, he muses to himself.

"Naruto, you said that it might be possible for me to go to your world. Could you elaborate on how that would be possible?" Sasuke asks.

"You'd just get aboard one of our ships. We haven't built a stargate to this location yet. It's far enough away that it'd be pretty expensive and time consuming to construct, but we can do it." The blonde assures him.

A stargate? Did he mean stargate in the way that Sasuke thought he did? Shit, Itachi was never going to believe this.

"When you say stargate…what do you mean exactly?" Sasuke asks.

"I guess the easiest way you could think of it would be it's a door. There have to be two of though. You stand inside it in one location and once it's on, it teleports you to the next instantly." The blonde explains.

Sasuke blinks. Amazing. Naruto's species was really advanced when it came to space travel. Apparently, science fiction to humans, was reality to the birdlike people.

"That is incredible." He breathes out in awe.

"Yeah. I guess we kinda just take it for granted. Don't worry. I'm sure humans will get there one day. But yeah, you'd just travel on a ship with me for now. We don't have the gate up on Earth, yet. Of course we'd ask permission first." He adds as an afterthought.

"Of course." Sasuke says in amusement.

He shakes his head. Sasuke was grateful that Naruto's race seemed to be "polite." He doubted the Serpentes were the same way. They looked pretty vicious. His mind ponders what else was out there and he decides at the moment, he didn't want to know. Jinchuuriki and Akatsuki were more than enough to keep him occupied for awhile.

"Mhm. I promise, you'll like Konoha if you come back with me. You don't have to stay for good. It could just be a visit to see if you like it or not. We could take Itachi as well. I imagine he'll feel better, if he's with you. I know he's pretty overprotective. Plus I know Gaara would want to be around him, considering well everything." The blonde says.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. Gaara and Itachi had barely exchanged a few sentences a short while ago. Why would the Kage care if his brother came or not? It didn't make any sense, unless…

"Naruto, why did you say that about Gaara? Why would it matter to him, if Itachi came with us or not?" His Mate asks.

Naruto gulps. He probably shouldn't have said that. It just slipped out. Now he was going to have to tell Sasuke the truth. His Mate would want to know and he wasn't very good at keeping secrets anyway. Maybe Sasuke was.

"Itachi is Gaara's Mate. Gaara hasn't told him yet. So please don't tell your brother, before he does. It's probably better to let them get used to each other a little more first. Itachi seems more skittish than you." The blue eyed alien pleads.

Sasuke blinks. Itachi was Gaara's Mate. He didn't know how to process that. He knew Naruto. Well he knew him a little. He barely knew Gaara. It was more unsettling for the red head to be Mated to his brother, because he was an unknown.

"I won't tell Itachi. I think that's between him and your friend. But he isn't going to force the issue, is he? He'll be patient like you?" Sasuke asks.

"Gaara's probably going to be a lot more patient than I am. I've always been impulsive, even for my species. Gaara is a look before he flies, type of guy. Don't worry. He'll make your brother very happy. It'll just take some time." His boyfriend says.

"Good to know." Sasuke replies.

Naruto nods. He smiles and glides some of his feathers over his Mate's gorgeous body. He figured he could get away with that. Sasuke wouldn't scold him for the whole just look thing, if it was just his feathers, would he?

"Naruto, I know what you are doing. You are trying to cop a feel alien style." He mutters.

"Maybe a little. It's just hard for me. You're my Mate. I should be able to touch you. I should be able to make you feel good. You said you liked the way my feathers felt…" He argues.

"Well they do feel nice." Sasuke admits.

"Good. If you want me to stop though, I will." Naruto assures him.

Sasuke bites his lower lip. He believed Naruto when he said that. But he also knew that if he gave Naruto an inch, he'd find a way to turn it into a mile. He was already laying naked next to him. That just proved his point.

"Just a little touching with the wings and NOT anywhere that is explicitly sexual." Sasuke relents.

"Great!" Naruto says and glides his wings along Sasuke's arms.

He would have preferred them to be Mating now or at least to taste his Mate. But it was a start. Clearly, Sasuke was growing more comfortable with him. Sasuke had even asked how he would get to Konoha. So on some level he was considering at least visiting his home planet. Naruto smiles and hopes that Gaara was having just as much luck with Itachi, as he was with Sasuke.


	7. What's Fluffing?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara admires his future Mate, Naruto's parents get more curious about Sasuke, and our favorite prince explains what fluffing is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all like this chapter.
> 
> Jinchuuriki Description: Their wings are positioned in the same way that Angel wings are. They have retractable talons on their hands AND feet.

A few days later, Gaara couldn't help but observe his Mate. He smiles when he saw Itachi bent over some human machine. He bite his lip in concentration as checked to ensure it was fully operational. Gaara thought this lip biting habit was endearing really. It made him want to kiss him.

Well really, everything about Itachi made Gaara want to kiss him. If he was being honest with himself, he wanted to do a lot more than that. Still the Kazekage wasn't an idiot. He knew that if he approached his Mate with his affections now, he'd likely only scare Itachi off. He could watch and just admire the lovely view of his Mate's perfectly shaped backside.

"You seem to be fascinated by human technology." Itachi muses once he determines the machine was working.

"It does merit some interest. I'm more fascinated by your species as whole than your technology though. Oh if you want to increase the efficiency of that machine, you should connect the green and red wires." Gaara adds as an afterthought.

Itachi hesitates for a moment, but he does as the alien suggests. He blinks when he notices the red head had been correct. The engineer never would have thought of that combination before.

"How did you know that?" Itachi asks.

"Do not take this as an insult, but my people's technology is more advanced than yours. We believe our species evolved a few million years before yours did. So that is why. It has nothing to do with your kind's intelligence. Jinchuuriki have just had a head start on humans." He offers.

Itachi takes a moment to marvel at the fact an alien was worried about insulting him. Actually, he was amazed that an alien was talking to him at all. It would have been thrilling to discover any alien life, even bacteria. But to have not one, but three aliens who could speak English at the research facility was unbelievable. Some days, he wondered if this was just a really long dream.

"You aren't being insulting. You are just telling the truth how you see it. It's likely accurate as well. Naruto implies that your home is very far from here. The fact that you could travel to Earth successfully, lends credibility to your belief that Jinchuuriki have more advanced technology than we do." Itachi replies.

"I am glad that you were not offended." Gaara says.

Something did strike Itachi was odd. The red head seemed more interested in watching HIM, than watching Naruto at this point. Maybe he just figured that Naruto wanted some privacy with Sasuke, but Itachi couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than that.

"I might not be a biologist, but I am very curious about your planet and your people. Do they always attach to someone so quickly? Is everyone of your kind wired for love at first sight?" Itachi asks.

"The Mating instinct is one of our most powerful and sacred. We can be in relationships with those that aren't our Mates, but everyone understands such arrangements are merely temporary in nature. So yes, you could say that we are all wired for love at first sight. I know that humans have an inkling of this instinct, but it's not as obvious as ours is." Gaara answers him.

Itachi nods. The aliens were romantics. Who would have thought that? The elder Uchiha brother honestly didn't know what to say to that.

"Forgive me if I am getting too personal, but are you Mated?" He inquires cautiously, not wanting to offend the alien.

"Yes and no. I've found my Mate, but I haven't told them yet." Gaara answers and Itachi notes the alien was avoiding looking at him in the eyes for some reason.

That was surprising. He had just assumed that all of Naruto's people would be as direct as the blonde. It looked like at least some Jinchuuriki were a little bit more reserved in their approach to courtship.

"I thought it was instinctive. Wouldn't your Mate recognize you as their Mate as well?" He asks in confusion.

"It is instinctive for Jinchuuriki and some other species, but not necessarily for his." Gaara mutters.

Itachi blinks. Gaara also had a male Mate. He was beginning to wonder if homosexuality was the norm for this species and how they managed to reproduce, but Sasuke had said Naruto's mother was worried about him. That did imply that there were at least some heterosexual pairs.

"So your Mate is male. Is that the norm for your species? Sasuke mentioned Naruto's mother was worried for him…" Itachi asks and trails off because it was rather obvious what he was asking.

"Our species' population is more than stable enough that having some Mates who are the same gender, isn't an issue. Besides, our reproductive technology is further along than yours. Having hatchlings isn't an issue for us. To my people, homosexuality and heterosexuality are equal. It really makes no difference to us. Humans seem to be more varied on their opinion of this matter." Gaara muses.

Itachi blinks. Gaara was implying that somehow males could have children with each other. Well humans could do this to a certain extent with a surrogate, but he wondered if that was the case here.

"Forgive me, if I am being too crude. But how is it possible for a Mated pair that consists of two members of the same gender to have "hatchlings" as you call them? And does use of the word hatchling, mean that Jinchuuriki lay eggs?" He asks.

"You aren't being crude. You are simply curious. Anyone in your position would be. To put it simply, each male or female in the pair would produce a sperm or egg sample at one of our medical facilities. The genetic samples would be combined and then placed into an artificial age. After that the egg would develop normally. This way both Mates get to pass their genes on. And yes, we do hatch from eggs. From what little I have observed of human reproduction, our way seems significantly less painful." Gaara answers him patiently.

Itachi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. He couldn't disagree with Gaara there. He was glad he wasn't a woman. Childbirth did not look like an enjoyable experience.

"Yeah. I have to admit that it does sound like your people have evolved the smarter strategy." He mutters.

"You'll get there. Your species is still very young. I imagine that you are asking these questions because you are worried for your brother. Don't be. Naruto is nothing if not extremely loyal and dedicated. He does have an unfortunate habit of rushing into things without a plan. But as humans would say, he has a heart of gold." The alien continues.

"Good to know." Itachi replies and Gaara nods in agreement.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto was eating lunch with Sasuke. Sasuke had something called a tomato salad and he was feasting on something known as a hotdog. Naruto notes that his Mate seemed fond of this fruit known as tomatoes. He decides to surprise him with some later.

"Humans do have good food." Naruto notes and brushes one of his wings across Sasuke's arm.

"Sometimes. It varies a lot." Sasuke replies, before biting into his salad some more.

Sasuke had been right about Naruto taking a mile. He was almost constantly touching the biologist with his wings. Sasuke didn't really mind though. They did feel nice and the blonde had so far kept his promise not to touch him too explicitly with them.

"What do you eat on your planet?" Sasuke asks curiously.

"All sorts of things. I'm sure you'd find something that you liked there. Our digestive systems seem very similar." Naruto comments in a chipper fashion.

Sasuke notes that that was normal for Naruto though. The only time Naruto seemed to get anger was when anyone yelled at him. The blue eyed alien was just naturally cheerful, he supposed.

"Speaking of similar, has Gaara told Itachi yet?" Sasuke inquires.

Naruto shakes his head. His friend was really worried about the elder Uchiha's reaction. He knew that Gaara was trying to court Itachi in his own way though. This mostly meant following him around a lot and trying to get the engineer used to his presence. Naruto preferred the direct approach.

"No. I think he's worried that Itachi might not react well. He already expressed concerns about our relationship, so Itachi probably wouldn't handle the whole being Mated to an alien thing very well." Naruto replies.

"I guess that makes sense." Sasuke observes.

Naruto bit his lower lip. Well they were on the subject, he might a well go for it. Sasuke seemed much more comfortable with him now. Maybe he'd let him go further than just copping a few chaste feels and stealing some kisses.

"Sasuke, are you going to let me be a good Mate now? I mean I understand if humans court slower than our people, but I just want to do what a Mate should for you." He asks.

Sasuke wasn't really sure what Naruto meant by _being a good Mate,_ but he recognized when someone was being serious. The blonde was very serious about whatever he was asking the younger Uchiha. Sasuke decided to proceed with caution.

"What do you mean by be a good Mate exactly?" He asks warily.

"Actually Mate or at least taste each other. Or I could just taste you if you don't like doing tasting yourself. Whatever you want. Even just fluffing would be okay. Just something. I want to make you feel good, that's all." Naruto says.

The youngest Uchiha was almost scared to ask. Still he supposed that he should. He knew what Naruto meant by Mating. He thought he MIGHT know what he meant by tasting, but fluffing? That was a new one.

"What's fluffing?" Sasuke inquires cautiously.

"Well I'd brush my feathers against you till you got off or use my hand on you. That or you could use your hand on me." He explains.

Sasuke blinks. Oh fluffing was basically just a hand job. That was a relief. He decides to ask what tasting was.

"And what's tasting?" Sasuke continues.

"You know when someone wraps their mouth around your erection and sucks. Um I think humans call it oral sex." He says helpfully.

"Yes, we call it that and other things. Um good to know." The dark haired human replies.

Naruto wanted sex. But apparently he was willing to settle for hand jobs or blowjobs. Sasuke debated. Those talons looked really sharp and if his hand slipped, he winced to think about it. So either tasting or fluffing with feathers would probably be best.

"The talons are retractable." Naruto informs him, seeing the wince.

"Really? Can you retract them?" The Uchiha asks and watches as the wicked talons appear to just sink back into his skin, leaving only human looking nails in their place.

"Yeah. Sure. See? No talons." The blonde continues.

Sasuke blinks. He wondered if that was painful for Naruto or not. It didn't look like it hurt him. But logic told him such a move should be painful.

"Did that hurt? How long can you do that?" Sasuke asks.

"Doesn't hurt. It'd be like you curling your toes or making a fist and I can do it as long as I want." Naruto assures him.

"Oh good. I wouldn't want you to do it, if it was painful." Sasuke says as he considers his options.

Naruto had been patient. He really hadn't let Naruto do much and the Uchiha understood the blonde was only following his instincts. It wasn't really fair to expect him to resist doing what his people had apparently been bred to do. Maybe he could throw him a bone.

"Maybe we could start with fluffing with your feathers and see what happens. I don't think that I'm ready for a full Mating yet. But you've been really patient and I do appreciate that." Sasuke mutters after awhile.

"Really?!" The blue eyed alien asks in a way that reminds the biologist of a child that realized it was getting that puppy he or she wanted for Christmas after all.

"Yeah. Really." Sasuke says with a smile and thinks Naruto was too easy to please sometimes.

* * *

Meanwhile back at NASA, Orochimaru watches Kabuto with some concern. The man was really agitated. He was pacing all over the place. Unfortunately, the scientist knew why and could do nothing to help his friend.

"Kabuto, stop it. Sasuke has made it rather clear he isn't interested. While I find his tastes questionable, there is no point in getting jealous over someone you aren't involved with. Besides, this is the greatest scientific discovery in the history of the planet. You can't really hold it against him that he went to Hawaii to study Naruto in a more natural environment." The other man reasons.

"You honestly don't see a problem with it? That freak of nature is probably trying to "Mate" him right now. God only knows what is hidden underneath his clothes. He might have tentacles or something. That would probably scare some sense into Sasuke. I bet he'd lose interest if Naruto turned out to have tentacles or scales on his dick." Kabuto says.

Orochimaru shakes his head. Oh boy. This was worse than he thought. He could certainly sympathize. Unrequited love or lust was a bitch to deal with. But his silver haired friend had better get a handle on it. If he continued on this path, nothing good would come of it.

"I'm not certain what Naruto's genitals look like. I imagine that will be found out in time. But you need to calm yourself. You are a security guard. You have no reason to go to Hawaii. It would never be approved. So just calm down and have a drink with me. I have vodka. I know it's your favorite." He offers.

Kabuto didn't get it. He really didn't understand how Orochimaru could be so calm about this outrageous situation. He sighs and ponders that question. Well he sorta did. The scientific value of Naruto was enormous after all. But still this was nothing short of violating the laws of nature.

"He needs a good spanking, but I don't actually want him to get hurt. When he rejects Naruto, those talons look lethal. I hope that they are keeping him safe." The silver haired man mutters.

"I am sure that they have constant security around Sasuke. Don't worry about that much. He's too valuable to the government to lose on this project. His expertise with birds and the subject's fascination with him, make Sasuke irreplaceable." The scientist assures him.

The security guard nods. He supposed that did provide some small measure of comfort. He still disliked the situation though. Kabuto decided he was going to do something about it.

"Well it's late. My shift is over. I'll see you soon." Kabuto says and clocks out.

* * *

Once he arrived home, he turned on his laptop. Kabuto booked a flight to Hawaii. He had vacation time set up and was able to find a reasonably inexpensive flight. Honestly, Sasuke really should thank him. The guard was probably going to save his life by going to that island off the coast of Hawaii.

Honestly, it was one thing for Itachi to turn him down because he was straight. (Well at least Kabuto thought he was.) He could even handle Sasuke rejecting him. The silver haired man would have managed to move on if Sasuke had decided to date another man. But this was an alien. He wasn't even human. This was sick.

"Well I suppose I have to give Naruto some credit. He does have good tastes. But still, I can't let this abomination go on." He mutters.

Kabuto quickly starts packing to leave for the airport. His flight was scheduled to leave the very next morning. If all went well, he'd be with Sasuke before the next day past. He just had to be patient and hope that beast didn't kill the younger Uchiha in the meantime!

* * *

Back on the island, Kisame takes out his communicator. He turns it on and calls out Minato's name. He was gratified when the King responded almost immediately.

"Hello, Kisame. What do you have to report?" Minato asks and the communicator gets yanked out of his hand by his wife.

"Is my baby okay?!" Kushina demands.

"Yeah. Naruto is fine. He's doing really well actually. He and his Mate are starting to get cozier. Humans might be primitive, but they are really funny. Great food too. I think this will end up being a popular tourist destination, actually." Kisame tells them.

Kushina lets out a sigh of relief. She had been so worried. Naruto really need to think before he sailed off to some barely charted corner of the universe! He could have been killed on the way there or what if the humans weren't friendly? He could have been eaten or something!

"We are both very glad to hear that. Kushina has been very worried about Nauto. I've been a little concerned myself. So he and his Mate are getting along well then?" The King inquires.

Kisame nods. It was obviously a pretty slow courtship. But he could tell that the dark haired human did want Naruto. One's nose didn't lie after all. He was just a little Mating Shy because the prince wasn't human.

"Yeah. Gaara and I walked in on the human straddling the prince in a pretty suggestive way. Naruto's almost always by him. So I think it's safe to say that it will end up being a successful Mating. Humans don't really Mate the same way your kind do. So it's taking Sasuke time to adjust, is all." The Akatsuki assures them.

"Well that's a relief. I really hope that it's a successful Mating. Naruto would be completely devastated." Kushina frets.

Minato places his hand on her shoulder in a comforting fashion. Kushina was an excellent mother. Perhaps a smidge overprotective sometimes, but it came from a place of love.

The blonde king also had concerns. Sasuke wasn't a Jinchuuriki. He might be a scholar, but still it would take time for him to learn their ways. Even if he did, he might not find them acceptable.

"Don't worry, my love. Instincts are there for a reason." He tries to console her.

He also feared that the Mating might not be successful. If it wasn't, it might very well cost their son his sanity. It was a frightening prospect that chilled the blood of every parent whose child had just found their Mate.

"Yes, you're right of course. Kisame, what can you tell us about this Sasuke? You seem to have met him in person." She asks.

"Hmm good looking. Definitely a scholar. Mating Shy. He seems a little less skittish around us than his brother though. So I guess that's good." He muses.

Kushina nods. Well it was a start at least. She just prayed the Mating was successful. It would have been much easier if Naruto had chosen another member of their species.

Still interspecies Matings weren't unheard of. They accounted for about 10-15% of their kind's Matings. Naruto would find a way to make it work. She hoped.

* * *

Back on Earth, Naruto takes Sasuke to one of the caves he found. There was always the chance someone could walk in on them while they were in Sasuke's room. Naruto didn't want that to happen again. He figured the caves would be more private.

"You don't waste any time." Sasuke notes with amusement.

"Nope. This should be better. More privacy." The blonde says and Sasuke nods.

He bit his lower lip. On some level, he couldn't believe that he had agreed to this. The scientist in him was very curious. That and frankly, he was a man. What man was going to pass up getting _fluffed_ or _tasted?_

"Don't be nervous. You know that I would never hurt you, right?" Naruto asks and caresses Sasuke's cheek.

"Maybe not on purpose, but if we go further than fluffing…remember to retract your talons." Sasuke mutters.

"I'll remember. I promise." Naruto says.

**Warning Lime**

Sasuke nods. He quickly strips. The youngest Uchiha didn't want to lose his nerve. He knew that he might, if he took too long.

Naruto was decidedly less shy. He sits down and pulls Sasuke into his lap. Sasuke couldn't help but shiver. He felt a little like a bunny that had just been grabbed by a hawk or something.

"Just relax. According to the videos, human men enjoy this too." He remarks and gently glides the tip of his wings over Sasuke's manhood.

"W-What videos?" Sasuke gasps and squirms.

It felt good. Really good. Like velvet against him. He shivers and relaxes somewhat in Naruto's hold.

"Well I figured that human Mating and our kind of Mating was similar. But I knew that your practices varied a lot. So this man called Jirayia was nice enough to ship me lots of videos with humans mating filmed on them." Naruto continues and fluffs his Mate some more.

He was constantly amazed by how gorgeous Sasuke was. His Moonlight pale skin, dark hair, exotic eyes, sculpted body, and impressive "tail." He couldn't have imagined a more beautiful Mate if he tried. To think, he had almost missed him because they were separated by some galaxies.

"Jiraiya shipped you porn?" Sasuke asks in disbelief.

"Yeah. I guess that's what humans call it. He said it would be good research for me though. I just wanted to know how to make you feel good. Don't be mad." Naruto says and places some light kisses along Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke sighs and leans back into him. It was hard to be mad when he was getting well…hard. Naruto's kisses were very soothing. He'd yell at Jiraiya for being a pervert later.

"I'm not mad. It's sweet in a way." Sasuke admits and moans when the feathers started moving faster.

"Can I touch you more? I'll retract my claws. I promise." Naruto whispers hotly into his ear.

Sasuke nods and Naruto beams. He heard Naruto retract his claws. One of Naruto's hands glides over his chest. The blonde seemed really fascinated by Sasuke's nipples because he traces his thumb around them and then tugs lightly, before resuming caressing. His other hand quickly grabbed Sasuke's cock and caressed him there.

Fuck! Sasuke moans and bucks into Naruto's hand. There was just something that felt insanely good about having the warm, rough hand wrapped around his cock and touching him that way. Sasuke had gotten fluffed before, but it had never felt this fucking good.

"Mmm told you that we were compatible. You're already so hard and all I've done is a little fluffing." Naruto growls lustfully into his ear.

Sasuke felt himself blush. He'd never been harder in his life and Naruto had barely gotten started. He didn't know what to say. Apparently a verbal response wasn't required though, Naruto kisses him hotly and strokes him faster.

Sasuke returns the kiss eagerly. Their tongues battle for dominance and Sasuke moans into the kiss. He thrusts into Naruto's hand hard and fast, wanting more.

"You're so sensitive. I like that." Naruto murmurs, breaking the kiss.

Sasuke was practically going insane with desire at this point. He yanks off Naruto's pants and starts pumping him hard and fast. The biologist knew he was close and wanted to make sure Naruto enjoyed it as well.

"You're really big." Sasuke comments dumbly.

He mentally kicked himself with that. Well it was hard to come up with a smooth line when you were so close. Sasuke saw that Naruto's eyes were turning gold and heard his almost lover growl as he thrust into his Mate's hand.

Naruto couldn't believe it. Sasuke was letting him touch him AND touching him back. It felt so good, he felt slightly dizzy. His cock was throbbing with arousal and the urge to grab Sasuke was powerful.

He wanted to grab his Mate bend him over and claim him. He wanted to Mark him and show the universe that Sasuke belonged to HIM and ONLY him. It was with that thought, that Naruto came hard. Sasuke spilled his seed all over Naruto's hand at almost the exact same moment the blonde found his own release.

**End Lime**

"Wow." Sasuke says panting as he tries to come down from the high of his orgasm.

The scientist's heart was pounding. It'd never been that intense before. It felt almost painfully good and this was just foreplay. Fuck. He couldn't even begin to imagine what actual sex with Naruto would be like.

"Yeah. Wow about covers it. You'll let me know when you are ready, right? I mean you want me too. I know you do." The blonde says.

"You're pretty cocky. I'll let you know when and IF, I want you to Claim me." Sasuke says smugly.

Naruto felt he had pretty good reason to be cocky. He had just pleased his Mate. Sasuke could pretend to play hard to get all he wanted, but Naruto knew that he wanted him now.

"If you were my Mate right now, I'd bend you over and tease you until you felt like you were going to go insane with desire. I'd make you beg for my touch. Then of course, I would be a NICE Mate and give you what you wanted. I'd take this cave floor so hard until neither of us could move. Then when we woke up, I might give you the spanking that you are begging for. That's what happens to sassy Mates." Naruto says with a lustful growl and Sasuke noted his eyes were still golden.

Sassuke shivers. It should have pissed him off that Naruto assumed he was going to be on top. They had never actually discussed it seriously before. But it didn't. For some reason, the dirty words were just really hot.

"If you were my Mate, you would know me better than that. You would know that Uchihas NEVER beg." Sasuke says, dresses quickly, and heads off.

"We'll see about that." Naruto says with a smirk as he watches his Mate head back to the research facility.


	8. Back Off, Kabuto!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara and Itachi continue to bond as Sasuke faces off against Kabuto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you like this chapter.

The next day, Kabuto arrived on the island. Tsunade was the first to spot him. She walks over to the guard in confusion. What was he doing here?

"I didn't request anymore security. Kabuto, what are you doing here? Did something happen back at NASA? Did more aliens arrive?" She demands.

"I'm on vacation. No. As far as I know, Naruto is the only alien that is on this planet." Kabuto replies.

Gaara smirks overhearing that. He was sitting on a large tree branch nearby. Boy, was this human in for a couple of surprises. He wondered how the silver haired man would react to his and Kisame's presence.

"You are on vacation and just happened to end up on an island that almost no one has heard of? The same island where Naruto is being kept for observation? Somehow I doubt this is a coincidence. But as you have already been cleared by NASA, you can stay. I suppose it doesn't hurt to have extra security." She says with a heavy sigh.

Kabuto smiles. Things were going much better than he expected. He nods gratefully at the President.

"Thank you, Madam President. I assure you that you won't regret this decision." The silver haired man says.

"I hope that I don't. If anyone else shows up after you, I am kicking them off this island. We can't have everyone and their grandmother showing up here. This is a top security clearance sight. If the public find out about Naruto, Gaara, and Kisame…it will cause a panic." She mutters.

The security guard blinks. Who were Gaara and Kisame? Oh no. No! It couldn't be. There weren't MORE aliens, were there?!

"Forgive me, but who are Kisame and Gaara?" He asks.

"They are two other aliens. Gaara is like Naruto. Kisame is something called an Akatsuki. It's a shark like species. Both can speak English. Kisame's appearance is rather intimidating, but he seems perfectly friendly." The busty blonde explains.

Kabuto shivers. He couldn't believe it. There were more of these creatures. They were being invaded. Didn't Tsunade realize this?

It had to be an elaborate ruse. The aliens wanted them to let their guard down and then they were going to attack. He knew that he had to do something and fast.

"I see. Well I look forward to meeting them." He says with a fake smile.

He was fortunate that his poker face was so good. Kabuto knew he was an excellent actor. The silver haired man doubted that the President was aware his smile was forced.

"Good." Tsunade says and she walks off to inform everyone they had another guard on the base.

Kabuto walks around for awhile. That's when he heard it. Moans. He had definitely heard moans. Quickly, he follows the source of the sound into the forest. The security guard gasps at what he sees.

Naruto had Sasuke pinned against the tree. He couldn't really see what was going on. The blonde's wings obstructed his view, but any concern that the alien was attacking Sasuke quickly flew out the window. Kabuto quickly realized those were definitely not moans of pain. Those were moans of pleasure.

* * *

"Nnhh. Naruto." Sasuke sighs in contentment and tilts his neck to the side.

The prince was currently showering it with kisses and lovebites. It felt really good. The blonde had long ago discarded Sasuke's shirt and his hands were currently wandering over the biologist's muscular chest.

Sasuke never met anyone like Naruto. He had been in relationships before. He was used to feeling desired, but never like this. It felt like Naruto wanted to completely consume him. Even platonic touches were practically reverent.

"That's better. Just relax." Naruto whispers approvingly.

After the fluffing, Sasuke seemed to relax more around him. Naruto was really happy about this development. They hadn't gone further than that yet, though. That was disappointing.

Still the prince was pleased that Sasuke was receptive to his touch. He was even beginning to initiate touching. Nothing scandalous yet, much to Naruto's frustration.

It was mostly little things. Kisses on the cheek, hand holding, and sometimes stroking his wings. But Naruto took these as all being very good signs.

"Mmm okay." Sasuke murmurs in a bit of a daze from the wonderful feelings that Naruto's touches were bestowing upon him.

Naruto smiles. If he had been an Inuzuka, his tail would have been wagging. Sasuke was finally opening up to him and letting his guard down.

Naruto looks down and sheepishly noticed, that it actually was. That was a little embarrassing. Kiba would never have let him live it down, if he had seen Naruto's tail wagging.

The moment was perfect. Naturally, something had to ruin it. Naruto growled when he felt a sharp pain to the back of his head. He touches the sore spot and retracts his hand, only to discover that it was covered in some blue blood.

Naruto had no way of knowing that Kabuto had just thrown a rather large stone at the back of his head. The silver haired man had done this to prevent Naruto from "jumping" Sasuke.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" His Mate asks.

"A fucking rock hit the back of my head." Naruto grumbles and Sasuke blinks, noticing the blue liquid on the other man's hand.

"You're bleeding. Come on, let's get you back to the research center. We'll have Karin take a look at you." Sasuke says and quickly throws on his shirt.

Naruto sighs. He wasn't happy that their time together had been interrupted. But he was happy that Sasuke was worried about him. Besides, his almost lover had a point. He really should get looked at.

"Alright." He says and heads off with Sasuke.

* * *

A few minutes later, Karin blinks. She would never get used to the fact that Naruto's species apparently had blue blood. It was obvious that the rock had hit him pretty hard in the head. Still she didn't think there would be any permanent damage. She cleaned the blue blood that had smeared in some of his hair out, put some disinfectant on the injury, and bandaged it.

"I look silly. Like a mummy or something." Naruto mutters.

"A very sexy mummy, if it makes you feel any better." Sasuke offers and Karin blushes.

It was a shame that Sasuke and Naruto were both gay. If they had been even bisexual, maybe they would have been up for some fun. Still, there was still no denying the beauty of the exotic couple. It was like the Sun and Moon in a way. Frankly, it was the stuff that many fantasies were made of.

"That does make me feel A LOT better." The blonde replies with a smirk and kisses Sasuke's cheek, feeling rather happy about the praise.

* * *

Meanwhile Itachi was on a ladder, trying to do a roof repair to the research facility. Someone walked by and accidentally bumped the ladder. It gave way. Itachi shut his eyes as he braced for impact. An impact that might very well kill him or at the very least was sure to break bones.

The impact never came. Something caught him. He cautiously opens his eyes and breathes a sigh of relief. Gaara had caught him. Damn Jinchuuriki were fast.

"Thank you. You might have just saved my life." He manages to say.

"There is no thanks necessary. You are my ma- main human friend here. It is my job to protect you from harm." Gaara says and mentally kicks himself for almost telling Itachi that he was his Mate.

"That's very kind of you to say. Do you mind if I touch your wings? I have always been curious." Itachi says as Gaara sets him down.

The red head shakes his head. He managed to maintain an illusion of calm on the outside. On the inside though, he was ecstatic. The Kazekage felt like a hatchling that had finally figured out how to fly.

Itachi smiles. He gingerly brushes his fingertips against the wings. The elder Uchiha blinks. They felt like pure silk. Amazing.

"Sasuke says that Naruto's wings feel like velvet. Yours feel like silk to me." He observes.

"Jinchuuriki feathers to have some variation when it comes to coloration and texture. It's much like human hair in that matter. Generally, the texture is considered highly pleasant. It would be difficult to attract Mates if fluffing was a painful experience." He muses.

Itachi makes a mental note of that. Hmm similar to human hair in that their wings varied in color and how they felt. That was interesting. Still he was curious about that last part.

"What's fluffing?" Itachi dares himself to ask.

"Fluffing is when one rubs their wings against their lover in an erotic fashion or they stroke their erection with their hand." He states as if it was the most obvious and natural thing in the world.

"You can use the wings…for sexual purposes?" He asks.

Gaara nods. Of course they could. Why wouldn't they be able to? Then again, humans didn't have wings. So it probably just hadn't occurred to Itachi.

"Sex while flying is also a fairly common practice. Obviously, it'd be more awkward for a human as they'd have to completely depend on their Mate unless they were given artificial wings." Gaara muses.

"Sex while flying?! Wait. What do you mean by artificial wings?" Itachi asks.

"Well I suppose it's really not that much different in theory from what humans would refer to as gliders. We just place feathers on them the mechanical wings to make them look more attractive, but they functional similar to the real thing. They are suitable for Locking Talons and sex during flight. Many of our Mates from different species do end up purchasing a pair of artificial wings and artificial talons." He states.

Itachi blinks. He honestly didn't know how to process that. Well apparently this was a rather industrious, though perverted species of alien. They were rather good at improvising when it came to sex, it seemed.

"Learn something new, everyday." Itachi replies.

"It's not required of course. Most just usually do. I don't know of anyone that would force the issue, if their Mate was uncomfortable with the idea." Gaara assures him.

The engineer nods. Well that was good at least. Thank God these aliens apparently took the issue of consent seriously. Itachi mused that they were rather lucky Gaara's people were as polite as they were.

"Are you going to tell your Mate that you want to fluff him?" The elder Uchiha brother inquires.

"At some point. I don't think he's quite ready yet. Though I think he is getting more used to me. It is hard to tell. I really know so little about humans." Gaara says with a heavy sigh.

"Well if you have any questions, it's only fair that I answer them. You have been rather patient about answering mine. It must get irritating to be asked questions all day, everyday." The dark haired man offers.

Gaara shakes his head. No. The questions didn't irritate him. It was the opposite. He was happy that his Mate was taking an interest in his kind's culture and biology. It was a positive step towards becoming Mates, even if it was a small one.

"I don't mind the questions. It's natural to be curious. We would do the same, if positions were reversed." The red head informs him.

"Ah that's good. Well I'm glad that you aren't getting annoyed. Are you hungry? Tsunade says that you seem to enjoy cheeseburgers." Itachi inquires.

"A little hungry, yes. Cheeseburgers sound lovely." He says and thinks, _"Lovely, just like you."_

Itachi smiles. He leads Gaara to the kitchen. The engineer grabs them some burgers and drinks. Then he takes Gaara to the cafeteria.

* * *

Sometimes it was hard to believe just how fantastic his life had become. He was eating lunch with an alien. Itachi had never in his wildest dreams thought such a thing would happen. Sure, as a child he had the movies and read a few science fiction novels. But they were supposed to be FICTION, not real.

"I am also curious about humans. What do humans consider to be attractive qualities in a Mate? Be they physical or emotional in nature." Gaara asks.

"Well it varies so widely, that I'm not really sure I can give you a good answer to that." Itachi says, not really sure if he should speak on behalf of his entire species when it came to such a personal question.

"Well…speaking from a personal perspective then? If it doesn't make you too uncomfortable. I will understand if you do not wish to answer." The red head says and bites into his meal.

Itachi blinks. Gaara had just asked him what he considered to be attractive qualities in a "Mate." He hadn't expected that from the seemingly very professional alien. He pauses and then comes up with an answer.

"Well I'm gay. That means I prefer men when it comes to choosing Mates. He'd have to be loyal. Intelligence is important. Affectionate. Sharing similar interests would be a plus. Also looks aren't a disqualifier, but it is always nice to be attracted to your "Mate," as you call it." Itachi replies.

Gaara nods. That was good. Itachi preferred males. That was a relief to actually hear him say. He knew that he must have at least subconsciously been open to the idea of a male lover. If he wasn't his instincts wouldn't have chosen him. But it felt so good to hear the actual words. It was like a massive weight had been lifted from his wings.

Gaara was loyal. That wasn't an issue. He liked to think that he was intelligent. He wasn't a scholar, but he was the youngest Kazekage ever. That had to count for something. He could be very affectionate towards his Mate. Hmm he wonders what his interests were? Did Itachi find him attractive?

"When you speak of your interests, what do you mean exactly?" He inquires.

"I have a lot of them. Obviously engineering, but also other things. Art, politics, and martial arts amongst them. I don't share Sasuke's level of enthusiasm for it, but lately biology has also become quite interesting. I never imagined that we would actually discover aliens in my lifetime. Well I suppose I should say you discovered us." Itachi muses.

The red head smiles. Good, they shared interests then. This was another good sign. Maybe things would work out after all.

"I am Kazekage on my planet. The government is divided in half. The Royal Family and the ruling class. You are born into the Ruling Class, but to become a Kage, you have to be elected. I'm not sure what martial arts is. But art is a hobby of mine. I don't really mention it much in public. It's more of a private enjoyment. Maybe you would like to see one of my paintings sometime." The Kazekage offers.

"That sounds like an important position and I'd like that." Itachi says with a smile.

* * *

Meanwhile with Sasuke and Naruto, the younger Uchiha has Naruto lay down. Naruto was torn between being pleased that Sasuke was worried about him and feeling bad that his Mate was clearly anxious. He lets Sasuke fuss though.

"I should probably go get you some more bandages. That bandage was white when you got it, it's turning pretty blue now. Wait here, okay?" He asks.

"Alright. But don't worry. My kind are fast healers. This will probably be gone by tomorrow. Two days tops." Naruto assures him and Sasuke nods as he heads off.

Sasuke walks down the hall. He must have jumped three feet into the air when he felt someone grab him and pull him into a corner. The dark haired man prepares to defend himself against his "attacker." He kicked. He punched. Sasuke even tried to bite them.

"Whoa! Whoa! Fuck! That hurt! Sasuke, calm down. It's just me." Kabuto says.

"Kabuto?" Sasuke asks in disbelief.

What the Hell was Kabuto doing at the research facility? Well he was a guard. Maybe Tsunade asked for additional security. Still why that merited importing someone from NASA, he didn't know. Well then again, NASA had high security clearance requirements. Short of using the Secret Service, Kabuto might be the next best thing.

"Yeah. I'm on vacation, but decided to help out a bit. How are you?" He asks.

"I'd be a lot better if you hadn't scared the shit out of me by grabbing me. Seriously, Kabuto. That was not cool!" Sasuke growls.

He couldn't believe that asshole had just grabbed him like that. Kabuto was damn lucky that Sasuke hadn't killed him. He had taken a lot of self-defense classes over the years. Sasuke knew he could have done it!

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I just wanted to get your attention. It's hard to get any time alone with you. Well at least you don't look like you are hurt yet." Kabuto observes as he looks Sasuke up and down from head to toe, inspecting the other man for signs of serious injuries.

"Why? And yeah, I'm fine. What is with you? You are acting really weird. Weirder than usual." Sasuke demands.

Kabuto sighs. Maybe grabbing him hadn't been his smartest move. Sasuke was suspicious by nature and pulling that stunt had likely cost him. Still he supposed there was no use crying over spilled milk. He'd just have to find a way to make the other man understand the kind of danger he was putting himself in by indulging the alien.

"Because I'm worried about you. Naruto might look human, but he's not. You know that, right? You are dealing with a wild animal that can talk at best and at worst, you are being manipulated." The silver haired guard states.

"I know he's not human and he is NOT an animal. Don't talk about him that way." Sasuke snaps at him.

Kabuto mentally winces. Great, just great. Sasuke was actually defending the creature. This was worse than he thought. It was a good thing that he came when he did. Hopefully, Sasuke didn't actually think he was in love with the beast yet.

"Then he is playing you. They can travel across galaxies, Sasuke. They are a lot smarter than they are pretending to be. Maybe he just wants you to be his plaything. Who knows maybe he actually thinks he can knock you up and create some sort of hybrid. Maybe they are planning to conqueror this planet and turn every human into a slave. Did you ever think about that?!" He demands.

"I hit you once. I'll do it again. Get the fuck away from me. If you come near me, I will make you regret it. Naruto isn't like that. If they really wanted to enslave humans, they could do so easily. You don't know what the fuck you are talking about!" Sasuke practically snarls at him.

The silver haired man was a bit taken aback by the snarl. He had never heard Sasuke make that sound before. He wondered if maybe he had picked up the trait from Naruto. That just disturbed him more. Clearly, he had to put a stop to this. Sasuke would thank him later.

"You are getting way too close to the subject. Sasuke, you are no longer objective and you know it. The smartest thing you could do is to remove yourself from this situation. Let other's handle it. You've already contributed so much. I doubt the President would blame you." He says, deciding to try another approach.

Sasuke was a professional. Maybe he could appeal to his sense of professionalism. That might do it. If it didn't, Kabuto was running out of ideas for how to save his sexy, but naïve ass.

"Kabuto, fuck off! I am NOT leaving! I'm too valuable to this project and it's none of your business! This is borderline _**stalking**_! I'm not going to fucking put up with it!" Sasuke snaps at him and shoves the other man away from him.

Sasuke was furious. How dare Kabuto come here like he thought he was some White Knight? Like he actually thought he was going to save the damsel in distress. Sasuke was not in distress and he was no damsel. If Kabuto insisted on pretending he was, he would kick his ass.

"Sasuke, don't be like that. I'm only worried for your safety." Kabuto says.

"Well don't worry about it. It's MY life. If I want to take the risk, that is my decision. Besides, the President doesn't have an issue with my relationship with Naruto. If she thought he was a real threat, she would have said something. Are you trying to tell me that you think you are smarter than the President? Because that is a fucking laugh." Sasuke growls at him and storms off.

* * *

He quickly heads to get the bandages. Once he had retrieved them, he returns to his room. Sasuke tried to calm down. He didn't want Naruto to know he was upset. If Naruto knew, well he might go postal on Kabuto.

As much as Sasuke would have loved to see that, he knew it was unethical. That and he couldn't allow the blonde to fight his own battles. Sasuke would handle his own shit. Thank you, very much.

"Sasuke? What's wrong? Your aggression levels are off the chart." The blue eyed alien asks.

The younger Uchiha takes a deep sigh. It was times like these, that he was reminded that his almost lover was definitely not human. He was sure that the alien could smell his _aggression levels._

A human would have said, _"What's wrong? You look upset."_ But not Naruto. No, his blonde somehow could measure aggression. Sasuke decided at the moment that it was probably best he didn't know how. He could feel a headache coming on already.

"That's kinda creepy how you can do that." Sasuke observes.

"Sorry. My species is just wired a little differently in some ways, but tell me what's wrong?" Naruto asks.

Sasuke sighs. He sits on the bed behind Naruto. He sets about changing the bandages. He didn't want Naruto to kill the dumb fuck. The Uchiha wondered if the blonde would actually do it? He got the impression the blue eyed alien would do anything for him, even kill.

"Coworker was being an ass again. That's all. Don't worry about." He says and kisses Naruto's cheek.

The prince frowns. Someone had upset Sasuke. It sounded like the same person as before. He really should deal with this human that had the nerve to upset his Mate. This was beginning to be a pattern and he didn't particularly care for it.

It was Naruto's job to ensure that his Mate was safe and happy. This Sannin was fucking up the second part. He felt his eyes flash gold. Yes, he'd find out who annoyed his Mate and make sure they NEVER made that mistake again.

"Naruto, don't. It's fine. Don't worry about it." Sasuke says.

"But he upset you TWICE. I'm a good Mate. I want to make sure you are safe and happy. He's making you unhappy. So I should go and "talk" to him." Naruto says with a nod.

Sasuke shakes his head. No, that was a really bad idea. So far Naruto was being really good. There hadn't been any major issues with humans and his people. Sasuke would prefer if it stayed that way.

He hated to say it, but Naruto attacking Kabuto would only prove the guard's point. He wouldn't allow the silver haired man to get what he wanted. He wanted proof that the blonde was dangerous. Sasuke wasn't going to give it to him.

"Naruto, I love you. I don't want you or your people to get hurt. Please don't do anything stupid. Just let it go. I can handle him. I've done it before. It's really not a big deal." Sasuke says.

"What'd you say?" Naruto asks.

"I asked you not to do anything stupid. Our specie are getting along really well so far. I would hate to see that jeopardized because of one creep." The biologist replies.

"No, the part before that. Did you mean it? Did you mean it when you said that you loved me?" The alien inquires anxiously.

Sasuke mentally kicks himself. He hadn't meant to say that. It had just slipped out. But the words while unintentional, were the truth. Oh God, he was in love with an alien.

He could deny it, but that would hurt Naruto's feelings. The blonde likely wouldn't trust him ever again, if he did. That and Sasuke had never been a very good liar.

"I meant it." He says and umpfs when Naruto glomps him.

"I love you too!" Naruto says excitedly and Sasuke swore that the Jinchuuriki's tail was wagging like a very happy dog's tail would.


	9. Gaara's Mate and Sasuke's Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi discovers Gaara is his Mate, after a confrontation with Kabuto. Naruto gives Sasuke a lesson in alien biology.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: More alien species are introduced in this chapter and any "Rookie Nine Aliens" will be mostly humanoid in appearance. More "exotic" species will be added later on. It is a big universe after all. Also more info about Jinchuuriki biology and cultural practices has been added with an emphasis on Jinchuuriki reproduction. I"m not exactly sure if it qualifies as a Mpreg description, but I figured I should warn people ahead of time about it.

"Alright, Sandy. It's time you spilled it. What's bothering you? You are all jittery and I barely see you anymore." Kisame says to the red head a couple of days later.

"Have I told you how much I detest that absurd nickname that you have bestowed upon me? It really is so juvenile. I am a Kage. Kages are not addressed by a name as silly as _Sandy."_ The Jinchuuriki demands.

Kisame chuckles. Well if Gaara was feeling feisty enough to protest the nickname, maybe things weren't as bad as he thought. Still he was worried about the little birdie. It wasn't like him to disappear for hours at a time on a mission, without letting his comrade know where he was going.

"Yes, you have told me that at least a thousand times. That's why I do it. You take life too seriously. You really need to learn how to relax. Come on, Gaara. You're my friend. Tell me what's bothering you." The blue skinned alien continues.

Gaara sighs. He knew that Kisame meant well, but he had better not say anything stupid about this situation. Kisame seemed to enjoy teasing his friends. Normally, Gaara didn't mind, but Mating was a serious and sacred business. It was nothing to joke about.

"I finally found my Mate." Gaara says.

Kisame blinks. The Akatsuki didn't know what he expected, but that hadn't been it. Still he was confused. Shouldn't Gaara be happy he found his Mate? Well the red head hadn't mentioned anything on their flight to Earth, when the Mating topic came up. That could only mean one thing. Gaara had found his Mate on Earth.

"Well I know it's not me or Naruto. You would have reacted to us sooner if it was. It can't be someone from your home planet. You would have mentioned having found your Mate earlier, if that was the case. Which means, your Mate is a human. That's why you are upset. You don't know if the human wants you back. It all makes sense now." Kisame observes.

Gaara sighs and nods. His friend might be more playful than him, but Kisame wasn't an idiot. He was able to fill in the blanks and realize that the Kazekage's Mate was human and why he was upset. Not that the red head expected anything less from an Akatsuki. They were many things, but stupid wasn't one of them.

"You're correct on all counts." The Kage mutters.

"Right. So we haven't really left this research facility since we've been on this planet. So it has to be one of the humans here. Can't be Sasuke, since he's already sorta claimed. Hmm…I'm gonna guess his brother. He is hot and he's a member of the scholar class. I know you have always been attracted to brainy types." The sharp toothed alien says with a nod.

"I don't want my lover to be dumber than a box of rocks. I fail to see any issue with that. You are right though. Itachi is my Mate. I haven't told him yet because I'm not sure how he'd react. Sasuke is still struggling with it, but clearly he's warming up to Naruto. Itachi seems more cautious than his brother though." He frets.

The Akatsuki nods. He couldn't really disagree with Gaara's assessment of Itachi's personality. Still he had never seen Jinchuuriki instincts fail them when it came to finding a Mate. If the red head thought Itachi was the one, then he simply was. (Kisame didn't understand how this all worked exactly, but he had decided to go with the flow.)

"Well I'm sure you'll win him over. I mean you are a Kage. You can definitely provide for him. You're smart and you have pretty feathers. You're strong. You can be a little bit prissy, but other than that I don't see why you'd have an issue courting him." He states consolingly and Gaara twitches.

Pretty?! Prissy?! How dare Kisame talk to him like that?! He was not pretty and he was most certainly not prissy. He was a very much handsome male Jinchuuriki and he conducted himself properly. The Kazekage was not prissy!

"I am NOT pretty or prissy. Retract your statements." He growls.

"Sorry, if the talon fits, wear it." Kisame says cheekily and darts off, laughing as Gaara chased after him.

Yeah, he knew that Gaara wouldn't react well to being called those things. That was why he did it. The man needed to take his mind off things for a bit. If Kisame had to be his punching bag to help his friend through it, he would for awhile. What else were friends for, if not to distract you from your troubles?

Gaara chases after Kisame. When he got his hands on that Akatsuki, he would show him that he was not pretty. Pretty was feminine. Gaara was very much masculine! Thank you very much. Just because he had white feathers, didn't make him pretty!

"Whoa. Easy there, Sandy. No need to get that pissed off. I was just messing with you." Kisame says nervously as he darts down the hall.

* * *

Everyone was watching them now. It was a very odd, though comical sight to see a white winged Jinchuuriki chasing after an Akatsuki, who was two feet taller than him. The Akatsuki looked more than a little nervous for his safety to boot.

Kabuto blinks. Those must have been the aliens that the President referenced. Yes, one was another Jinchuuriki, like Naruto. The other did greatly resemble a shark crossbred with a human. It was disturbing actually.

"Kabuto, what are you doing here?" Itachi demands when he notices the silver haired man.

"I'm working as an extra security guard." He states.

Itachi glowers at him. The odds of Kabuto being brought here from NASA, after they arrived were slim. He didn't like it. The elder Uchiha especially didn't like it Kabuto had provoked Sasuke the last time they had seen each other.

"I guess it's true what they say then. It's so hard to find GOOD help these days." Itachi mutters.

"When did you become such a diva?" Kabuto asks.

Itachi rolls his eyes. He was tempted to wipe that smug look of his face. He knew better though. The President was still at the research facility. If he was caught doing so, it might mean the end of his career. She wouldn't take kindly to members of the staff attacking each other.

"Around the same time that you started harassing my brother." The dark haired man informs him.

"Speaking of Sasuke, aren't you worried about him? You can't seriously think it's safe for him to be "dating" an alien." Kabuto inquires.

The engineer shoots him a dirty look. While he did have serious concerns, he wasn't going to tell the silver haired man that. Itachi was always loathe to agree with Kabuto on well anything.

"How I feel about my brother's relationship is none of your business. Besides, Sasuke is an adult. He can make his own decisions. Don't you ever try to use me to get to my brother again. Don't think that I haven't seen the way you look at him. You have an Uchiha fetish and it is more than a little disturbing." Itachi observes.

"I don't two qualifies as a fetish." Kabuto protests.

"So you don't deny it. If you need to get laid that badly, there are certain services you could use. I suggest you use them and stop panting after us like a dog in heat." The engineer informs him.

Kabuto felt his fury rising. It was rare to see the normally rather polite engineer speak to anyone like that. He couldn't believe Itachi had basically told him to go out and pay for "companionship." To hear Itachi of all people talk about such things, was shocking.

He knew that Itachi was straight. So he had largely gotten over the sting of the initial rejection. Kabuto hadn't really gotten over Sasuke's though. Still he knew neither of them were idiots. So why they put themselves in danger by allowing Naruto to continue pursuing Sasuke was a mystery to him.

"You are both going to get yourselves killed at this rate. Has it ever occurred to either of you that Naruto and his "friends" could simply be pretending to be friendly? They are probably planning to dissect us or enslave humankind." He hisses at him.

Itachi twitches. He didn't know why it angered him so much to hear Kabuto say that. They were perfectly logical concerns and a part of him realized that. But the less logical part of his brain, wanted to throttle the other man.

"While your concerns have merit, you would not feel that way if you got to know them. Yes, Kisame is a little…eccentric in his appearance, but he is friendly. Naruto is completely devoted to Sasuke. Gaara is an excellent lunch companion. None of them have shown any hints of aggression towards anyway. Well other than Gaara chasing Kisame, but I get the impression they are play fighting." Itachi says.

That was it. Kabuto couldn't take it anymore. He was going to smack some sense into Itachi. It was for his own good.

"Don't tell me that you are voluntarily becoming an alien's plaything as well?! No wonder you and Sasuke are such cold fish. Humans aren't good enough for either of you. I never thought I'd see the day when Itachi Uchiha willingly played the part of a wh-" Kabuto didn't get to finish his sentence because he was slammed into the wall by a white blur.

"If you ever speak to him in such a fashion again, I will gladly turn whatever passes for your genitalia into my personal scratching post." Gaara warns the human that he had pinned against the wall.

"It's true then. Itachi, did you even tell this freak that you are straight or did you just decide it was okay to be gay for alien tentacles?" The silver haired man demands.

Gaara narrows his eyes. He didn't have any tentacles, but the humans implication was rather clear. The Kazekage didn't care for it in the slightest. Forget castration, he was going to kill this insolent lower life form. He wraps his hand around the guard's throat and begins squeezing.

"I didn't tell him that I was straight, because I'm not. That is still none of your concern. Gaara, please release him. Kabuto was just being an annoying insect as always. He's not worth the effort to swat and I would rather not have to explain to Tsunade why you killed him." Itachi says.

"It would be so much easier just to snap his neck. I'd be doing your species' gene pool a favor. Are you sure you don't want me to kill him?" Gaara asks.

Itachi raises an eyebrow. It was actually rather tempting, but he couldn't in good conscience order someone's murder. He nods his head.

"LET GO OF MY, YOU FREAK!" Kabuto snarls at Gaara.

"Are you positive?" Gaara asks again, hoping Itachi would change his mind.

"Yes, Gaara. I'm sure. Don't tempt me. Just let him go. Perhaps now would be a good time for you to show me some of your paintings." Itachi suggests.

Gaara nods. Well if his Mate didn't want him to kill this man, he wouldn't. He sighs and releases the security guard from his iron grip. It did please him to see that there was already a bruise on the challenger's neck.

Clearly, Itachi had rejected this Sannin's advances in the past and for good reason. (His Mate knew better than to bed a Sannin, he had better taste than that!) That must be why the human was being so annoying. Kabuto couldn't handle rejection well.

"I'd like that. Would you like me to bring them to your room or to see our ship? I brought a few my more recent ones with me." He asks happily.

His irritation at Kabuto was rapidly disappearing. Itachi was showing an interest in one of his passions. This was as good sign. It made Gaara happy.

"You'd allow me to see your ship?" Itachi asks in astonishment.

"Of course, I would. You are my Mate. Why wouldn't I be willing to show you a piece of my home?" He asks and Itachi's eyes widen as he remembers their earlier conversation.

_"Are you going to tell your Mate that you want to fluff him?" He asked._

_"At some point. I don't think he's quite ready yet. Though I think he is getting more used to me. It is hard to tell. I really know so little about humans." Gaara had replied with a heavy sigh._

Itachi blinks. He couldn't believe it. How had he not seen this before? That was why Gaara was always around him. That was why Gaara was so willing to answer his questions. That was why he had wanted to kill Kabuto for insulting him. It also explained what the alien had meant by, _"I know so little about humans."_ The red head thought that Itachi was his Mate.

Gaara mentally winced. He hadn't meant to say that. It had just slipped out. He nervously watches and waits for his Mate's reaction. So far, Itachi appeared frozen in shock more than anything. But that wouldn't last long.

* * *

Meanwhile Sasuke was curled up in Naruto's lap and reading the book that the blonde had given him. He knew that the blonde was mostly humoring him. The blue eyed alien claimed to have the ancient tome practically memorized.

"So Inuzukas are like Jinchuuriki, only with canine traits…instead of bird ones?" Sasuke muses.

"Yeah, you got it. Their pretty decent. Sometimes they can be on the aggressive side though. Very much pack animals. It's usually a good idea to keep them away from Hyugas." He muses.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He wondered what Hyugas were. He flips through the book till he finds the H's. It was rather helpful that the book could organize itself into alphabetical order, once it knew your language.

"Hyugas are cat people?" He asks as he looks at an image.

It was of a beautiful woman. She looked mostly human in appearance, save for a pair of cat ears and a long matching tail. The ears and tail resembled a snow leopard's in design, only they were lavender. So were her eyes. He winced when he saw the claws though. Ouch.

"Yeah. Guess you could say that. You know the old saying about fighting like cats and dogs? Inuzukas and Hyugas invented it. Though things are getting kinda tense now. Kiba's in love with Hinata. She's a Hyuga." He explains.

"Don't tell me that there is an alien version of Romeo and Juliet going on." Sasuke mutters and Naruto shrugs.

"I don't think that anyone is going to die over it. Both species are members of the Allied Forces, but their parents are less than thrilled by the match." He muses.

Sasuke blinks. Allied Forces? That implied some sort of military alliance, but Naruto said his people hadn't been to war in a long time. Why did they need a military alliance?

"It's more about deterrence than anything. Individually each species is strong, but together we are enough of a force that most other species outside our alliance, wouldn't dare attack any individual member." Naruto says.

"How big is the alliance?" Sasuke asks.

"There are 58 allied planets. If humans end up joining us, that will bring us up to 59. Of course, your position would be more honorary than anything else. You'd have to up your tech levels before you could really do much fighting. But we haven't been to war in thousands of years. So I wouldn't really worry about it." The blonde prince states.

Sasuke blinks. He tries to wrap his mind around the fact that meant there were at least 58 known major alien species who were evolved enough that they understood the strategic value of military alliances. These weren't single celled organisms or even simple animals. These were intelligent life forms.

"Yeah. I know it's a lot to get used to at first, but don't worry. It's overwhelming when you stop and think about it. I grew up knowing all this. This is all being shoved at you at once. I'm impressed by how well you are handling it, really." Naruto praises him.

"Thanks." He mutters, but couldn't shake his feeling of unease.

A military alliance with 58 member planets had been fully operational for God knows how long and they didn't know it. There were possibly hundreds of millions of species out there. He doubted all of them were as friendly as Naruto and Kisame's people.

"Relax. I can feel your distress. You're safe. You're always safe with me." Naruto says and kisses the top of his head, wrapping his wings around Sasuke protectively.

"It's kinda hard to relax when you are a goldfish that has just been dropped into an ocean." Sasuke says.

"Nah. You aren't a gold fish. I mean if you are going to be a fish, I'd say you are more of a tiger shark." The blue eyed alien says.

Sasuke smiles and shakes his head. That was Naruto. He could always find a way to lighten the mood, no matter the situation.

"I'll choose to take that as a compliment. Thanks." He murmurs.

"Good because it was meant as one. You might be a scholar, but you have the body of a warrior class." His Mate comments.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. It was becoming increasingly clear that Naruto's society was divided by class. He wondered if the people liked that way or if it was like a caste system, where some people just got the short end of the stick and had to deal with it.

"You've mentioned the ruling class, scholar class, warrior class, and royal family before. Are there other classes?" He asks.

"Yeah. There are lots of them. Healers, artisan, merchants, nurturers, and the building classes are just a few others." The prince replies.

Sasuke nods. So there was more than just monarchs, government, warriors, and scholars. It was truly a complex society. One that he didn't fully understand yet, but there was clearly a social order.

"How is your class determined?" The biologist dares himself to ask.

"After you are hatched, there is a genetic test done on you. It determines your Class. It gives percentages. Really, it's very rare to be 100% any class. But you are placed in the class that has the highest result. For example, I'm 90% warrior class, but also 10% nurturer class. Most people are more…evenly divided. Really anything over 70% is considered an extremely strong preference towards a class." He says happily.

"What happens if someone isn't happy with the class they are assigned?" Sasuke asks.

Naruto smiles. He really did have such a caring Mate. He kisses his cheek. The blonde was really happy that Sasuke was so interested in his culture.

"If you feel that you have been poorly assigned, you can request a retake. Sometimes preferences change. In that case, if your results are different…you are reassigned to another class. This is pretty rare though. I think it's something like 88% of people stay in the class they were born in." He explains.

"Well that's good that there's a chance you can change your class, if you aren't happy. Otherwise it'd be like slavery." Sasuke says.

"Yeah. We don't do slavery. Some species do, but every planet in the Allied Forces has to outlaw that practice before they can join. Actually, your planet would need to make a few changes to qualify for entrance, now that I think about it. But I know you can do it." The blonde says.

Sasuke rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Yeah, he knew his species wasn't exactly the model of enlightenment. Still it was nice to know that Naruto believed in them.

"Thanks. Um good to know." Sasuke says as he glances at the picture of an Inuzuka again.

He looked mostly human. But he had red triangle like markings on his cheeks. His teeth were sharp like a dog's. He had a wolf like tail and matching ears. Again, with the claws. Shit, were humans like the only dominant species without claws and talons?!

"You know if it would make you feel better, I can get you some artificial talons and wings." Naruto offers.

"You can do that?" Sasuke asks and Naruto nods.

"Yeah, we can do that. We aren't the first Mates from different species. I mean most of my kind Mate other Jinchuuriki, but it's not unheard of for different species to do pair off." The prince explains.

Sasuke nods. He remembers Naruto saying a Mate was a Mate. He wondered if it was really that simple. There was no speciesism displayed towards interspecies relationships? Sasuke found that hard to believe.

"Nobody on Konoha is going to be upset that you're human. Sasuke, you really need to stop worry about that. I'd love to take you home and prove it to you. Like I said before, Itachi could come with us." His almost lover assures him.

"I don't know if I'm ready to go to another planet yet. I have to admit that I'm very curious. But what if something goes wrong? What if I get stuck there or we get attacked along the way? What if there's bad weather or we get struck by space rocks?" Sasuke asks.

Naruto shakes his head. He kisses Sasuke. Sometimes scholar Mates could be way too prone to panicking. His concerns were all perfectly valid to raise, but still. The blue eyed alien didn't like to see his Mate worried for any reason. It was up to him to reassure Sasuke.

Sasuke kisses back. He moans into the kiss when he felt the prince deepen it. Naruto pushes him onto the bed and completely plunders his mouth with his tongue. The blonde's hands were starting to wander. Sasuke grabs Naruto's hands and stops him.

"Naruto, frisking me does not answer my questions." He chides his boyfriend gently.

"Maybe not, but it's fun. Besides, I don't like seeing you get all worried over nothing. It's perfectly safe. Gaara, Kisame, and I all got here safely, didn't we?" The alien asks.

"Well yeah, but th-" Naruto presses his fingertips against Sasuke's lips silencing him.

"But you don't need to worry. I'd never let anything happen to you. You're my Mate. It's my job to protect you and keep you happy. Well protect you and any hatchlings we have." He says brightly.

Sasuke blinks. Did Naruto just say Hatchlings?! Hatchlings as in kids? Wait, did Naruto come out of an egg or something?!

"Ohhh. You don't want kids." Naruto mutters, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Naruto, we are both men. We can't have kids. Well I guess there is always adoption or maybe surrogacy. Still don't you think it's a little early to be talking about that?" Sasuke asks him.

Naruto shakes his head. Sometimes he forgot how different things were for humans. He had to explain some very basic facts of life to Sasuke, it seemed. That was alright. He could be a patient teacher. He'd do anything for his Mate.

"Um our people are kinda more advanced when it comes to the whole reproduction thing. For males to have children with each other, is really easy. All we would need to do is to go to a medical facility and produce a sperm sample. They'd take that and put it into an artificial egg. After that it'd be kept there to make sure that everything was progressing normally, but really same gender breedings have a nearly identical successful hatching rate as opposite gendered couples. Nothing to worry about." The prince assures him.

Sasuke blinks. He tries to wrap his mind around the fact that Naruto was saying they could have children with both of their genes, easily. It almost sounded like having a kid was as easy as placing an order at a fast food joint.

"So your kind don't get pregnant?" Sasuke dares himself to voice the question.

"Oh no. Females can still get pregnant. Many prefer it over the artificial egg. They feel they have more control over the situation and don't want to have to leave the egg at night. But it's a preference thing. For "straight" couples, natural pregnancy is chosen about 70% of the time. But there's not really much of a cultural stigma for females who prefer an artificial egg." Naruto says.

"How big is the fucking egg?!" Sasuke asks in disbelief.

"Well if a female chooses to have a natural pregnancy, the egg grows inside her for about three lunar cycles. Typically, our eggs start out the size of chicken eggs. So it's a relatively painless birth." Naruto begins.

Sasuke blinks. Jinchuuriki were only pregnant for three months and laid eggs. He tries to wrap his mind around this, but he couldn't fully. Still that raised so many questions.

"That's a really small baby, if it's only the size of a chicken egg." Sasuke comments.

"Not really. Then the Mated pair will put the egg in a safe place until it's ready to hatch. This usually takes another 4-6 weeks. The egg expands naturally as the baby grows. By the time it's ready to hatch, eggs are generally the size of a bowling ball or watermelon. Our infants are very similar in size to yours." Naruto replies.

Sasuke nods. He tries to picture an egg that big. The closest he could come up with was maybe an ostrich's egg? But those only weighed about three pounds.

"So what you're saying is that if we wanted to, we could have kids without any difficulty?" Sasuke asks.

"Well other than having to leave them at night in the medical facility, yeah. It can be hard to do that. But they take very good care of them." Naruto assures him.

"Um good to know. Do you want Hatchlings? While we are on the topic, do you have any brothers or sisters? I never really asked before. I probably should have." Sasuke inquires awkwardly.

"Well yeah. I'm 10% Nurturer after all. I mean if you don't want them, that's okay. I'd like to have some though, but only if you were okay with it. No, I'm an only child. Our family size ranges though. Most Jinchuuriki end up having two or three children. Some have none at all, the highest we've ever seen recorded is 13. But that was a really long time ago and the female just kept having twins and triplets. It's fairly rare to see a Mated pair have over six children." He explains.

Sasuke nods. Well that was good. So family sizes didn't tend to get way out of control. He'd have to think about it. Still he was curious about one other thing.

"What's a Nurturer?" The dark haired man asks.

"Oh that's what we call the class of Jinchuuriki that takes care of hatchlings. They might be healers who specialize in the care of children or they might be what your people would call caregivers, nannies, babysitters, and so on. Their job is basically to watch Hatchlings when the parents can't or to educate them. Nurturers can be male or female." Naruto says.

"Oh. I see. Well that makes sense. I guess every society would evolve a "class" like that at some point. Got it." Sasuke says.

"Yup!" Naruto agrees.

"I'll think about Hatchlings. But even if I did want Hatchlings, it wouldn't be for awhile. We are still getting to know each other. There's no reason to rush into something like that. It's too important of a decision to be made lightly." Sasuke warns him.

"That's okay. I can wait. Besides, just think how adorable they would be." Naruto says, smiling brightly.

Sasuke shakes his head in amusement. You would think that Naruto was trying to talk him into keeping a cute puppy that followed them home, instead of asking if he wanted kids. But this was Naruto. He took a lighthearted approach to everything.

Still Sasuke guessed it was good to know sooner, rather than later that Naruto was interested in Hatchlings. He had a lot to think about now. The biologist realized that Naruto would expect and did deserve an answer to that very important question, after all.


	10. Come With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More alien species are introduced and as Naruto asks Sasuke to return with him to Konoha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: Bufo Bufo is the scientific name for toad. That's where I got the name from.

Kiba had traveled to Sage on a standard trade mission. Sage was a large swampy planet that was ruled by a species known as BufoBufoians. The Inuzuka had privately dubbed them BB's. (Not that he was dumb enough to call them that to their face, of course.)

As soon as his ship descended for a landing, he noticed something was very wrong. The BB's had super long tongues that they used to catch their prey. They could also be used defensively and offensively. One of the massive toads tried to grab his ship in its mouth.

"STOP THAT! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?! WE ARE ALLIES!" He calls out.

"Allies?! You were planning to take over our planet! We are onto you and the rest of the Allied Forces! We never should have joined you. You just want to absorb us into a colony. We won't have it!" The toad roars.

Kiba really didn't get what was going on with the giant toads, but he knew he had to get out of here. Engaging all of those BufoBufoians on his own was not a smart move. Since they were an allied planet, he had gone on the trading mission alone. It simply wasn't a fair fight.

The best he could do is dodge and try to fly off. He'd have to let the other Allied Forces know something was seriously wrong with Planet Sage. He wondered why they though that the Allies wanted to make them a colony, but decides he'll worry about that later. His main concern right now was getting out alive.

"DIE, MANGY DOG!" One of the enormous amphibians snarls out at him as it slammed its massive tongue towards the ship.

Kiba winced as it landed. It felt like a battering ram had just slammed into the hull of his craft. He needed to get out of here. This ship wasn't necessarily designed for combat and there were just too many of them.

"KNOCK IT OFF! You are attacking an ally! I don't know why you think we were plotting against you, but we weren't! Why would we do that? The Allied Forces have existed for thousands of years and successfully cooperated. Why would we target your planet specifically to be made into a colony?!" He shouts into the intercom, hoping that maybe one of them would see reason.

"You can't fool us!" They cry out in unison and the tongues came slamming down on the ship.

Eventually, Kiba had no choice but to crash land it. He jumps out of the ship and runs. Maybe, he could outmaneuver them. Getting to the Stargate was his only prayer of getting off of this planet alive.

"GET HIM!" The largest BB thunders and suddenly dozens of tongues come flying at him at once.

Kiba had never been so grateful to come from a fast species before. There were enough trees in the swamp that he was able to use them somewhat as shields from the tongues and to bob and weave around them on his way towards the Stargate.

He howled in pain as he got shoved onto the ground by one of their tongues. Kiba whirls around and snarls. He bites down on the attacking appendage hard with his fangs.

"Serves you right." He smirks as the creature howled in pain and the Inuzuka raced off towards the Stargate.

Kiba quickly activated it and set it for Konoha. He had to inform Naruto about this. The blonde was the one responsible for bringing Sage into the Allied Forces. He'd know what to do.

"Kiba, what happened?" Kushina cries out in alarm when she saw the canine alien appear through the Stargate entrance to the castle.

"The BufoBufoians attacked me. I don't know what happened. I was going on a normal trade mission. They are all convinced that the Allied Forces are secretly plotting to make them a colony. I was lucky to get out alive." Kiba exclaims.

The red head blinks. That was very disturbing. BufoBufoians were new to the alliance, but so far had been a loyal ally. She had no idea why they would suspect the other allied planets of such treachery.

"Come. Let's get you looked at. Then we can inform your people what happened and the other allies. We'll tell everyone not to go there until this can be straightened out. We don't need anyone to die over a misunderstanding." She says as she escorts Kiba to medical wing.

"Thanks, Queen Kushina. Do you know where Naruto is? He's probably the only one that can talk some sense into them." Kiba asks.

Kushina rubs the back of her head sheepishly. She didn't think that it was wise to tell Kiba that the prince was off on some barely known planet, trying to Mate a species that had only been discovered recently.

Mates from other species were accepted. No one would look down on it. But some people might have concerns about how Sasuke's species would react to the relationship. Human society seemed to be less accepting of exotic matches.

"He's out on a mission right now. But I will contact him after we get you looked at and inform him of the situation." She states diplomatically and calls a healer to look at Kiba.

* * *

Back on Earth, Naruto was enjoying cuddling up to Sasuke some more. His Mate was still reading the guidebook. Naruto smiles. Watching Sasuke's expressions while he read various passages was far more entertaining than anything in the actual book itself.

"Sasuke, are you seriously going to try to read the entire book in one day?" Naruto asks in amusement as he places a kiss to his Mate's shoulder.

"I don't think so. It's too big, but I'm going to read as much as I can. You have no idea what a treasure trove this is, Naruto. It's amazing." Sasuke says with a smile.

The blonde alien wraps his wings around his Mate as he read. He was happy that Sasuke was happy. His Mate seemed really relaxed. Maybe he could try his luck again.

"Speaking of big and amazing, do you want to see my other tail again?" Naruto whispers hotly in Sasuke's ear, earning a blush from his almost lover.

"Naruto." Sasuke growls at him waringly.

"What? What, Naruto? I have the most beautiful Mate in the universe and want to Claim him. What's so wrong about that?" He asks.

"I don't think that I'm ready for alien sex. That's all. I don't really know how we'll…you know?" Sasuke asks.

Naruto shakes his head. Sasuke was worried about pleasing him. It would be cute, if it wasn't so frustrating!

"Don't worry about it. We're Mates. We wouldn't be Mates, if we didn't you know, fit together?" The blue eyed alien replies and then sighs when his communicator goes off.

"Hello?" He asks and blinks when she saw his mother's image.

Sasuke's eyes widen. He could see another Jinchuuriki. She was beautiful with long red hair, stormy gray eyes surrounded by orange skin,, and chestnut brown wings. Her tail was golden like Naruto's. It couldn't be, could it?

"Oh hey, mom!" Naruto says brightly.

Sasuke blinks. Yes, it was. This was Naruto's mother. The prince seemed to be using the device like a cell phone. He got reception across galaxies?! What the Hell? Sasuke's cell lost reception if he went into the woods and Naruto could get his to work on Earth? Lucky bastard!

"Baby, it's so good to hear your voice again. I hate to interrupt your courting process, but we really could use your help." She says.

Naruto tilts his head. It was obvious the alien was concerned. Sasuke could tell that the blonde wasn't sure what was up.

"Why, what's wrong?" He asks anxiously.

"Kiba went on a trade mission to Sage, but the people there attacked him. They seem to be under the mistaken impression that we want to turn them into a colony. He somehow managed to escape through a Stargate and is back on Konoha with me, now. You helped to convince them to join us. Maybe you can talk some sense into them." The Queen states hopefully.

The blue eyed alien blinks. He hadn't expected that. It was hard to believe that the toads would flip out on an Inuzuka like in such a way. He wondered what was up.

"Um yeah, I guess I can talk to them. Maybe Sasuke could go with me!" Naruto says brightly.

"Sasuke, that's your Mate's name, right? I can't wait to meet him. Your father says he's a scholar?" She asks.

Sasuke gulps. He wasn't really so sure that he was ready to _Meet the Parents_ alien style yet. That and Naruto's mother was a Queen! What the Hell was he supposed to say to an alien queen?!

"Yeah. He is. Hang on, I'll put him on for you." The blonde says and hand Sasuke the circular communication device.

Sasuke gives Naruto a dirty look. Now he had to say something. He looks into it and decides to try speaking. The biologist wasn't entirely sure how to use it correctly.

"Hello, Your Majesty?" Sasuke says.

Kushina looks curiously. Wow, humans really did look like Jinchuuriki. Well he was certainly handsome. Hmm quite the broad build for a scholar. He must have a decent warrior percentage in him as well. You didn't really get too many people with a relatively even mixture of warrior and scholar percentages.

"Oh well aren't you polite and absolutely adorable? I do hope the grand Hatchlings have your skin! So exotic!" She exclaims happily.

Sasuke rubs the back of his head sheepishly. He didn't even know how to respond to that. She liked his skin tone? That was just weird. Well she obviously meant it as a compliment. So he decided to try to go along with it.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Sasuke mumbles.

"Sasuke, do you want to go with me? You'd be safe back on the ship and we could visits Konoha afterwards." Naruto says excitedly.

The human didn't know how to respond to that. Naruto wanted to take him to another planet. Actually, the blonde wanted to take him to two different planets. On one of them, some sort of conflict was going on. That didn't sound particularly safe.

"Are you sure that it's a good idea? Your mother says that someone got attacked." Sasuke reminds him.

"Oh it was a trade mission. I doubt he was in a ship that was designed or battle. Besides, even they can't crack our warship shields." The prince continues on.

"W-Warship?!" Sasuke stammers and once again was reminded that Naruto wasn't actually human.

He was from an alien species. An alien species that had been around a lot longer than humans and had taken advantage of that fact. God only knows what a Jinchuurik warship was capable of.

"It's already tense. I'd probably give him artificial wings and talons, if you are going to take him. Oh and some makeup around his eyes would help. Hmm I recommend red around his eyes and maybe some dark blue wings. That would look so handsome on him." Kushina observes.

Sasuke couldn't believe it. An alien queen basically wanted to play dress up with him. He looks at Naruto incredulously.

"Yeah. Guess you're right. I really want you to come, Sasuke. But if you don't want to, you don't have to. I just don't know how long this will take and I'd really miss you." Naruto pleads with him and Sasuke noted that apparently his almost lover didn't have a problem with letting his mother play dress up with him.

"Let me talk to Itachi about this first." Sasuke says.

"Yeah. That's probably a good idea. I need to brief Gaara and Kisame anyway." The blonde agrees and Sasuke nods, heading off to find his brother.

Kushina tilts her head to the side. She wondered who Itachi was. She decides to ask Naruto.

"Naruto, who is Itachi? Is he the leader of that planet?" The Queen inquires.

"Oh no. He's Sasuke's older brother. He's also Gaara's Mate, but he doesn't know that yet. Keep it a secret. Gaara is waiting for the right time to tell him." Naruto beseeches her.

"Don't worry. My lips are sealed." Kushina replies.

* * *

Elsewhere on the island, Itachi was still in shock. Gaara thought that Itachi was his Mate. He knew that he should say SOMETHING, but the engineer was truly at a loss for words.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" He asks.

"Of course. I just was waiting for the right moment. I wasn't sure how you would react. You are more cautious than Sasuke. I didn't know if you would want me and I didn't want you to feel pressured into it." The red head admits.

Itachi tries to process that. It seemed that the white winged alien was a little bit more patient than his friend. That was good at least. It was one thing to eat lunch with Gaara or to have a conversation with him, it was another to agree to be his Mate!

"That's very considerate of you." He mumbles, not sure what else he should say about this strange situation.

"I try to be. I know it's difficult for you. From what I understand, humans don't really have an instinct in the way that we do. To me, it's the most natural thing in the world. To you, I imagine that it must seem to be a frightening prospect." The Kazekage says and gingerly reaches out to touch his Mate's cheek.

The engineer nods his head at that assessment. He could see that Gaara was reaching out to him. It appeared the other man was giving him time to reject the touch, if he so desired.

Itachi decides to allow it. It was a platonic touch. From what he gathered, it was likely that Gaara had been suppressing his Mating instincts for awhile now. He wasn't entirely certain what kind of psychical, let alone psychological effects that was having on the red head. He could humor him slightly.

"You're right. I'm going to need some time to think about this. Does it hurt you? Does it hurt not to claim me, as Naruto calls it?" He asks softly.

"It doesn't physically hurt, but the desire is there. A bit maddening really, if I am being honest. If you prefer it though, I am really not one to argue about positions. You could do the claiming, if it made you more comfortable." Gaara offers.

Itachi blinks. The alien was offering to let him top during sex. He wondered if Naruto had made the same offer to Sasuke or if Gaara was just more egalitarian in this fashion.

"Good to know." He mumbles.

"ITACHI! I need to talk to you. Oh um hi, Gaara. I guess you should hear this as well." Sasuke says as he races down the hall to them.

Gaara smacks his forehead. Damn it. Naruto's Mate had really lousy timing. Was everyone conspiring against him today? It was certainly starting to feel that way.

"Sasuke, what is it? What's wrong?" Itachi asks.

"It's a long story. But I guess one of Naruto's friends was attacked on another planet. The dominant species there thinks the Allied Forces are trying to colonize them. Naruto's mother wants him to go and talk to them. Naruto wants to take me with him. I think he'd take you as well, Itachi." Sasuke says.

Itachi looks at Sasuke as if he thought his brother had grown another head. He couldn't possibly be serious. Did he seriously expect them to go to an alien planet, where fighting was going on?

"Sasuke, if the species there thinks that it is being colonized, violence will break out." He warns him.

"Naruto, says we'll be safe on the warship." His brother replies.

The elder Uchiha didn't think that Naruto was lying. Still he didn't want to gamble with his only brother's safety either. Damn it.

"Our ships have the ultimate defense for shields. I designed the latest version myself." Gaara says proudly.

Oh good God, now Gaara was actually trying to encourage Sasuke. Wonderful. Now what was Itachi going to do? It was obviously three against one.

"Are you asking my permission to go?" Itachi inquires.

"Maybe a little. I don't want you to worry. I don't know if it's safe. But this is an amazing opportunity Itachi. We will be going where no human has ever gone before." Sasuke says, deciding to try a different approach.

"I can already tell that you have decided to go. Asking me is merely a formality. I will go with you. I'm not going to let you get yourself killed." Itachi states firmly.

Gaara watches the brothers with amusement. He was surprised that Itachi was giving his permission for Sasuke to go. Well he was sorta giving his permission anyway.

"I will go as well. I won't let anything happen to any of you." The Kazekage promises.

* * *

On the other side of the research facility, Kabuto calls Orochimaru. It would be good to vent. Surely, the scientist would understand how completely reckless both of the brothers were being. This was madness. Pure and simple.

"Kabuto, it is good to hear from you. Are you going to be returning soon?" Orochimaru asks.

"No, I'm afraid not. It's worse than I feared. Not only is Sasuke completely under Naruto's thrall, there's more bad news. There are two new aliens. One is like Naruto. The other is a species that I don't recognize. Tsunade says he's an Akatsuki. The second Jinchuuriki is now seducing Itachi." He mutters.

Orochimaru sighs. While he was concerned for the Uchiha brothers' safety, there was enormous scientific value in such relationships. There was so much that they could learn about alien species through interspecies relationships!

If Kabuto was thinking with his head, he could see that. Instead he was allowing his bruised ego to cloud his judgment. This wouldn't end well. The dark haired scientist could already see this. Orochimaru had to find a way to prevent a disaster.

"Kabuto, if such relationships are voluntary, there is very little you can do about them. No one enjoys being rejected, but it happens. It's time for you to move on. Besides, think of the enormous scientific value that is being provided by the aliens' interest in them." He reasons.

Kabuto couldn't believe it. Orochimaru was sanctioning this disgusting situation. Had he completely lost his mind? Did he not care about Sasuke and Itachi at all? What was wrong with him.

"That value is probably going to come at the cost of their life. This is about more than my ego. I could have lived with them becoming involved with someone else. I just assumed that someone else would be HUMAN." The silver haired man says in disgust.

"The heart wants what the heart wants. It's not always clear why. Kabuto, do me a favor. Please don't meddle in this. You don't want to start a war or something. Let it be. Come back to NASA. You have a good life here, don't throw that away." He pleads.

Kabuto twitches. He couldn't stand it. Even Orochimaru, his mentor, was on their side. Unbelievable. Those damn sneaky aliens had turned everyone against it. He had head enough.

"I'll talk to you later. Goodbye." Kabuto says and hangs up.

Orochimaru sighs. He was afraid that so somehow he had just made things worse. Honestly, he was just trying to reason with the other man. It looked like it had backfired in a speculator fashion.

"I have to warn them." He says to himself as he calls Itachi and Sasuke's cells.

All the scientists had each other's numbers. You never knew when you might need the other person's expertise. While Sasuke and Itachi had never really been particularly close to Orochimaru, they would at least return his calls. (At least he hoped they would.)

"This is Orochimaru. I need to talk to you as soon as possible. It's an emergency. Call me at any time." He says and hangs up, once he realized neither were currently answering their phone.

* * *

Elsewhere, Sasuke hugs Itachi tightly and bounds off to find Naruto. He couldn't wait to tell the blonde the good news. While he was still very nervous about going to another planet, he knew that the blue eyed alien was going to be overjoyed.

"Itachi is going to go with us. So is Gaara, but that's not surprising. He does think Itachi is his Mate after all." Sasuke observes.

"Really?! That's great! Oh and Gaara doesn't think Itachi is his Mate. He KNOWS that your brother is his Mate." Naruto says happily as he spins Sasuke around in his arms, joyously.

Sasuke smiles. The prince's happiness was contagious. It was impossible to feel anxious when someone was smiling at you in such a truly joyful way.

"Oh Naruto, one thing bugs me though. How did I understand your mother? She's never kissed a human." He asks.

"Oh that? The whole acquiring a language thing, is a two way street. You know as much of my language now, as I do. You've just never had a reason to use it because we have been speaking English as a courtesy." The prince informs him.

Sasuke blinks. That was incredible. He knew another language and didn't even realize it. Amazing.

"So don't worry about not being understood on Konoha. Your brain will say the words in our language, but it will understand them in English. Everyone will be able to understand what you are saying and the toads speak Jinchuuriki." He supplies helpfully.

"Great. Um about what your mother said. She mentioned something about artificial wings and talons?" Sasuke asks awkwardly.

"Yeah. It'd probably be easier just to make you look like a Jinchuuriki. Less explaining that way. You don't mind, do you?" His almost lover inquires anxiously.

Sasuke bites his lower lip. He didn't really know how to feel about that. Were they removable? What if he was stuck wearing fake talons and wings for the rest of his life?!

"Can they be taken on and off easily?" He asks.

"Yeah. Of course. It won't be anymore difficult than putting on and taking off a pair of shoes or a jacket. There's nothing to worry about. We wouldn't have the option for our Mates to wear them, if it was painful. That wouldn't make much sense." The blonde reasons.

"Good to know. You might wanna ask Itachi about this. If I have to play dress up, he probably should too." Sasuke says with a smirk.

The blue eyed alien laughs. Oh yeah. He couldn't wait to see Itachi's reaction to that. Maybe he should let Gaara handle that one. On second thought, that was definitely Gaara's job.

"Yeah. I'll have Gaara take care of that. Besides, we still gotta tell Kisame what's going on and let's go get you ready. Gotta make sure we get the right sized wings." He says and drags Sasuke off.

* * *

A few minutes later, Sasuke was highly confused. The blonde was dragging him out into the middle of the island. There wasn't anything around by tropical forest.

"Naruto?" He asks uncertainly.

"Ship is cloaked. Once you're inside, you can see it. Just follow me." He says and leads Sasuke inside.

Sasuke gasps once they were inside. This blew away every ship he'd seen on any science fiction movie. Damn. He knew that Itachi would be in Engineer Heaven, when he set one foot inside this place.

"I think you probably need a size large for wings. Do you have a preference for color? I think my mom's right really. Blue would look really good on you." The blonde suggests.

"There's options? Um not really, but what have you got?" Sasuke replies.

"We got everything really from standards to exotics." Naruto tells him.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. God only knows what Naruto's species considered exotic. He got the impression that it was probably like dying your hair to them and some people went crazy with it.

"Like rainbow, neon, shimmers, pink, orange, purple, and so on are all considered exotic." His Mate informs him.

"Yeah. I think I'll have a look at the blue." Sasuke mutters and Naruto nods.

He pulls out some truly massive feathers that had been attached to some sort of metal device that was shaped like wings. Sasuke couldn't tell the difference between the artificial wings and Naruto's at first.

Sasuke has Naruto put the wings on him and looks at himself in the mirror. He blinks. It was a dramatic change.

"How do I move them?" Sasuke asks.

"They will respond to your will. The mechanics are wired to pick up on your electrical impulses that your brain gives off and respond accordingly." He tells him.

"Oh." Sasuke says and he flexes his wings, smiling when they move how he wanted to.

"Mom was right. They do look handsome on you. Let's get you some talons and makeup." Naruto says.

"You are enjoying this, aren't you?" Sasuke asks.

"Maybe a little." Naruto admits with a smile as he shows Sasuke how to put the artificial talons on.


	11. Culture Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first real clash of cultures occurs when Tsunade says something she shouldn't have. Sasuke and Itachi are sneaky. The aliens and Uchiha Brothers finally leave Earth!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: An accident happens here. Everyone will be okay though. I just figured that sooner or later some issues were going to come up. You can't have a seamless transition into Mated Bliss between two completely different species, without there being a few bumps alone the way. Also Gaara gets a little jealous, but it's all good. He's too close to Naruto to really let it effect him.

"You want me to what?!" Itachi asks Gaara in complete disbelief when he heard the red head's request.

"I would like for you to dress up as a Jinchuuriki. It will be much easier than explaining you are a recently discovered species while we are in the middle of peace talks." The Kazekage replies.

That's when Naruto bounded out. The blonde looked entirely too perky about something. Itachi sighs. He thought he had a pretty good idea what had made the alien prince so happy. He must have conned Sasuke into playing dress up.

"Sasuke agreed. Come on, Sasuke. It's okay. You don't have to be shy." Naruto says happily and Sasuke slowly heads down the hall.

Itachi blinks. His brother now had a pair of massive navy blue wings, a silver tail attached to his backside, talons on his fingers and toes, and the skin surrounding his eyes was now red. His brother looked like a Jinchuuriki

"Well I have to admit, it is very convincing." Itachi muses.

"Naruto, get your hand off of my tail." Sasuke growls at him.

"Sorry. Sorry. It just really highlights that nice ass of yours. Can you really blame me?" He asks and the younger Uchiha brother just shakes his head at his almost lover's antics, only Naruto could do something like that and still come off as innocent.

Itachi sighs. Well if Sasuke had done it, he supposed he should as well. There wasn't much point in Sasuke dressing like an alien, if Itachi arrived looking completely human. Things were apparently already tense enough without him adding to it.

"Fine. I'll do it. So help me Gaara, you had better not even think about making me wear rainbow feathers or something." He warns him.

"I would never do that to you. Come on, my love. Let's get you ready for the mission." Gaara says with a smile and escorts Itachi to the ship.

Itachi heads off with Gaara. He couldn't believe that he was actually going to go to another planet and going to pretend to be an alien. He couldn't believe this. It was all so surreal.

"There are lots of choices as far as feather coloration goes." Gaara says helpfully.

"Does the coloration make a difference or is it purely a matter of what you think looks better?" His Mate replies.

Gaara smiles. His tail swishes. He was happy that his Mate was willing to do this. It would help him get more used to his species and make things easier for them in the long run.

"Color doesn't effect functionality. Unless you are going for camouflage, it makes no difference. I think black wings would look best on you personally, but that is just me." He states.

Itachi shrugs. Well if the color didn't really matter, he supposed black was as good as anything else. He drew the line at rainbow or pink though. A man had to have some pride.

"You and Sasuke are brothers. So I think it would be fitting if you both had red eye markings. Hmm maybe a royal purple tail. You do seem to favor the color. Your talons are painted that color." He observes.

"Sounds good to me. I don't think it really matters that much. How do you move the talons, wings, and the tail though?" Itachi asks.

"It's wired to respond to the electrical impulses in your brains and will respond just as your normal limbs do. Basically, if you want to move them, they will move." Gaara assures him.

Itachi nods as he puts the wings, talons, and tail on. Gaara helpfully applies the eye makeup. The elder Uchiha brother goes and looks at himself in the mirror.

"If I didn't know better, I would think that I really was an alien. This is quite convincing." He admits.

"You look beautiful. You always do, but it all suits you very well." The red head says and Itachi suddenly finds his new talons rather fascinating.

He honestly didn't know how to react. Itachi believed that the Kazekage was very sincere in his affections, but he didn't know if he could return them. There was something very attractive about the red head on a primal level. Itachi couldn't deny the physical attraction was there and he was a good conversationalist, but he was from a completely different world.

"Thank you. We should go back to Naruto and Sasuke. I imagine my foolish little brother is quite eager to see me play dress up." He mutters.

"I did not mean to make you uncomfortable with my compliment, but very well." Gaara says as he leads Itachi back to the other soon to be Mated pair.

"You didn't." Itachi protests.

"You are a very bad liar." Gaara muses as they walk side by side back to Naruto and Sasuke.

Sasuke blinks. It was so surreal to see Itachi. He looked just like an alien now. He knew he did as well, but still there something really bizarre about seeing Itachi this way. Still he couldn't deny that the visual was striking.

"How well do the talons work?" Sasuke asks curiously.

"Pretty well. I mean you can't beat the real thing, but they can be lethal." The blonde replies.

Sasuke smirks. Good. Let Kabuto try to run his big, fat mouth now. He flexes the talons curiously and was gratified to see they flexed as easily as his fingers.

Itachi shakes his head. It didn't take a genius to see where his brother's mind was going. While he could certainly sympathize, he couldn't actually let Sasuke shred Kabuto to ribbons with his new talons.

"Bad Sasuke. Bad. You can't use them on Kabuto. No matter how much he deserves it, that is still assault or attempted murder." The engineer warns him.

"You were thinking it too and you know it." Sasuke mutters.

Itachi couldn't disagree with that. Still he knew that it was wrong to encourage Sasuke's more violent impulses. He had to be the responsible big brother.

"Perhaps. But you still can't do it and you know it. Come on. We should probably discuss this with Tsunade. After all, we are going to be the first humans to go into space. If for some reasons, our disguises don't hold…we will be ambassadors to our kind." Itachi reasons.

"I didn't think of it that way. Yeah, you're right. Come on. Let's go talk to the Queen." Naruto says as he drags Sasuke behind him like a rag doll.

Gaara and Itachi sigh as they chase after the more boisterous couple. They find Tsunade in one of the break rooms, talking to Kisame. It looked like the Akatsuki had decided to brief her.

* * *

"So you see, Naruto has to go away for awhile to resolve this situation. He'll want to take Sasuke with him. Naturally, that means Itachi will tag along. He won't want his little brother to travel in space without adult supervision. Naruto doesn't count as an adult you see. Oh he's an adult if you go by age, but he really acts like an overgrown child sometimes." The blue skinned alien finishes explaining.

"It's not as if you are much better on in that regard, Kisame." Gaara observes.

Kisame places a hand over his heart as if he had been greatly wounded. The Kazekage just rolled his eyes. He was used to his friend's antics by now. The Akatsuki wasn't actually hurt physically or emotionally. He was just being a Sannin.

"You want to take two humans to another planet?! How can you talk about this so casually?! The Moon is the furthest that we have ever sent anyone. How far away are these planets? One of them, is currently hostile? Are you all out of your mind?!" The busty blonde demands.

"Yes, we do want to take them with us. Space travel is no more different to us than flying on a plane is for you. They'll be safe inside the warship. Our shields are strong. Not really, I understand your concern, but they both already agreed to go." Naruto says.

Tsunade twitches. Yes, blonde alien was clearly out of his mind. So were the Uchiha brothers for that matter. Why on Earth would they ever agree to go into hostile territory like that?!

Her eyes widen when she finally takes in Itachi and Sasuke's appearance. Had Naruto changed them into aliens?! Was such a thing possibl? She felt like she was going to faint.

"Be at ease, your majesty. Those are merely artificial wings, talons, tails, and some makeup. Sasuke and Itachi are still entirely human and all of the modifications can be removed at any point." Gaara assures her, sensing that the "President" was panicking.

"Well that's good news at least. Still I can't believe you. You all just decided this without even consulting me? What if I say no?" She demands.

Naruto's eyes flash gold. He was trying to be nice, but it looked like she was going to be difficult. There was no way that she was going to keep his Mate away from him or Itachi away from Gaara.

"Naruto, calm down." Sasuke says.

"Why are you telling him to calm down? He looks perfectly calm to me." Tsunade observes.

"His eyes turn gold when he gets excited. Madam President, please don't push him further. He has powerful animal instincts." Sasuke pleads with her, knowing that her life might actually hang in the balance.

"If you are actually worried for my physical safety, then you shouldn't go with him. If his instincts are so powerful that he might actually attack someone, it's too dangerous." Tsunade sasys.

That was the wrong thing to say. Naruto lunged at her, talons raised. She was trying to keep his Mate from away him. He wasn't going to let that happen.

"NARUTO! STOP!" Sasuke cries out and flings himself between the two of them, raising his wing up defensively.

It was too late though. Thankfully, Sasuke's mechanical wings blocked most of the damage. But Naruto had been incensed enough that his talons went even through the metal. Sasuke screams in pain when the talons "graze" him.

"Sasuke!" Itachi cries out in horror.

"Sasuke! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." Naruto says, rushing over to his Mate and scooping him up into his arms.

Gaara glares at Tsunade. This was all her fault. She should have known better than to imply that a Mate should leave another Mate. The blonde was damn lucky that Sasuke had jumped in front of her or else she would have been dead. That probably would have set off a war.

"Sasuke! How bad is it?" Itachi asks as he rushes over to his brother, who was currently being cradled in Naruto's wings.

"B-ad." Sasuke grunts out and Itachi's eyes widen as he sees the deep cuts in Sasuke's arms, he was bleeding heavily and it looked like Naruto's talons had nearly cut him to the bone.

"We have to get him to Karin. He has to be treated! Naruto, please take him there. You are much faster than I am." Itachi begs the blonde and Naruto flies down the hall, carrying his injured Mate.

Gaara walks over to Itachi and wraps his wings around him, nuzzling his Mate. He was torn between his anger at Tsunade, wanting to comfort his Mate, concern for Naruto's emotional state, and worry over Sasuke's injury. His desire to comfort his Mate was currently winning out.

"He'll be alright. You have very skilled healers. His wings took the brunt of it." He assures him.

"That's the brunt of it?! He was bleeding all over and I swear I thought I saw BONE!" Itachi says.

"It could have been much worse. It was foolish of her to provoke him in that fashion. To imply that Mates should be separated, is well…almost unforgivable." The red head says.

Itachi blinks. Gaara actually thought such a response was normal. That just drove the point home. His people might look human, but they definitely weren't.

"He tried to kill me and I'm the one who did the provoking?!" Tsunade demands.

"Yes, you did. If it wasn't for Sasuke, we might have ended up going to war over this. Kindly think next time before you say something so stupid." Gaara seethes at her and his feathers flap in a very agitated fashion.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto whisks Sasuke to the medical lab. Karin gasps when she sees the injury and begins surgery immediately. Naruto paces outside.

He couldn't believe it. He had attacked his own Mate. Well Naruto hadn't done it on purpose. The Human Queen had just made him so angry. Sasuke had jumped in front of him before he realized what happened. Thank goodness that the wings had taken most of the blow, but Sasuke was still seriously hurt.

The next morning after Sasuke was treated, Naruto rushes to his Mate's side. He had to apologize. The blonde didn't mean to hurt him.

"Sasuke, I'm so sorry." He says.

"It's alright. I'm the one who jumped in the way. I thought the wings would block it. Didn't realize your talons could cut through metal. It hurts. But Karin says that I'm not going to lose the arm or movement in it, once it heals anyway." He says.

Naruto nods and scoops up Sasuke Bridal Style. He was very careful not to touch the injured arm. He kisses Sasuke's forehead and proceeds to carry him off.

"Naruto, where are we going?" Sasuke asks.

"To the ship. I'm getting you out of here. This never would have happened on Konoha or an Allied Planet. They would have known better. Besides, my planet has more advanced medicine than yours. You'll be better faster there." Naruto explains.

"What about Itachi, Gaara, and Kisame?'" Sasuke asks and squirms in the hold.

"They're coming with us. I'm just taking you to the ship. Then I'm gonna get them and everything we need before we leave. Don't worry. I'm going to fix this. I promise. You must think that I'm a horrible Mate. I attacked you." He mutters and holds Sasuke protectively.

Sasuke sighs. He knew that even if Naruto wasn't an alien, he'd be feeling guilty as Hell. It was probably best to humor him.

"You aren't a horrible Mate. Naruto, it was just an accident. I'm kinda surprised it didn't happen sooner. Thank God, that it didn't happen during fluffing." Sasuke shivers at THAT thought.

"I'm still really sorry. Just relax. I'll be right back." Naruto says as he lays Sasuke down gently on something.

Sasuke looks down and notices it was some kind of fur. It looked like this was the Jinchuuriki version of blankets. He cautiously touches the vibrant furs and smiles when he felt how warm and silky they were. These were nice.

"Hurry back." He whispers and Naruto nods, flitting off.

Sasuke bites his lower lip. Damn it. It was a miracle that Naruto hadn't killed Tsunade and set off a war between the species. One that he was sure would have resulted in the extinction of every human except him and Itachi. (Well and maybe Jirayia, Naruto seemed to like him.)

The youngest Uchiha decides to wait. When Naruto got back, he'd try to talk some sense into him. Things were still fixable. It had all just been a giant misunderstanding. That was all.

* * *

"Gaara, Kisame, Itachi get ready to leave. Kisame grab as much human food, drinks, and medicine as you can carry. Gaara, grab all the books on human culture, biology, and psychology as you can. Sasuke is back on the ship. We are leaving." He says and before they could respond, the blonde had already taken off in the direction of the ship.

"Itachi, it would be best if you went back to the ship. Kisame and I can handle this. Besides, I'm sure that Sasuke would be glad to see you." Gaara says and kisses his cheek.

He watches his Mate warily. Gaara knew that he was taking a bit of a gamble there. The red head wasn't sure how his Mate would react to the display of affection. Thankfully, Itachi didn't protest.

The Kazekage wasn't sure if that was because he was worried about his brother or had on some level accepted him. It might be both. Itachi nods and darts off to find Sasuke.

* * *

"Well my foolish little brother, you have done it now. How are you feeling?" Itachi asks.

"It hurts. Not as much as it should though. Morphine helped. Will probably need more. But Naruto wants us to leave now. We need to leave a note or something for Tsunade. We don't want to start a war over this." Sasuke says in a panic.

"Sasuke, Naruto's people know where we are. But there is no way that our people will be able to react them for well a long time. By then, I doubt anyone is going to remember this. So unless Naruto is feeling particularly vengeful, I wouldn't worry about a war. Though I will leave a note for the President. I don't really think that it is in anyone's best interest for us to stay much longer here. We can always return later." Itachi reasons and his brother nods.

A thought occurred to him. Itachi should just call Tsunade. If he got off the ship, Naruto and Gaara might get annoyed.

"Just call her and leave a message. It's easier that way." He suggests and the engineer nods in agreement.

Itachi takes out his cell and calls Tsunade. He quickly rattles off a message and turns off the phone. He doubted the blonde would return the call right away. They'd probably be long gone before she noticed it.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Kisame is carrying a large sack of something over his shoulder. Gaara is carrying another. Naruto is leading them back to the ship.

"What's in there?" Itachi asks as he looks at the bags.

"Food, medicine, drinks, and books about humans. We shrunk em down as much as we could. This will last us for awhile while you adjust." Kisame says with a fang-tastic smile.

Sasuke and Itachi blink. Well the aliens were nothing, if not good planners it seemed. The brothers just nod their heads.

Naruto sits down by Sasuke and nuzzles him. Sasuke smiles and allows him to cuddle. He didn't know who was more shaken up, him or Naruto.

"I'm going to be a better Mate now. I won't let you get hurt again. I promise. Is there anything else you want before we go?" Naruto asks.

"Two things. I'm going to need a new set of artificial wings and a kiss would be good. I'm not mad at you, Naruto. You were just acting according to instinct. But you really have to learn how to control your temper. Alright?" Sasuke asks.

"The wings we can do easily." Gaara assures him and Naruto smiles as he kisses Sasuke.

He was so relieved. The blonde wouldn't have blamed Sasuke for hating him. He was supposed to be his Mate. The prince was supposed to love and protect him. And what did he do? He almost cost Sasuke his fucking arm. Never again. Naruto promised himself that he wouldn't let a mistake like that happen again.

"Is there anything you want?" Gaara asks Itachi, ignoring the fact that Sasuke and Naruto were now engaging in some rather heated kissing.

"No. I'm good. Thank you." Itachi replies and the red head nods.

He tries to hide his disappointment. The Kazekage was happy for Naruto. He was glad that Sasuke hadn't held the incident against his prince. Still he couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

Naruto had shredded Sasuke's arm and still got kisses on the mouth. Gaara had been patient and not shredded his Mate's arm. He didn't get kisses though. Well he was able to give Itachi one chaste kiss on the cheek, but his Mate hadn't responded at all. It seemed very unfair to him!

"You should make yourself comfortable. Without a Stargate, it is a long ride to planet Sage." Gaara counsels Itachi.

"How long a ride?" The eldest Uchiha asks curiously.

"Hmm…I think approximately three of your days. Our ships travel much faster than yours. Your ships would never make it to the galaxy Sage is in, during your lifetime. Based on the fastest human ships that I have recorded to date, it would take about 8564 years for you to reach Sage. That's give or take a few months of course. I rounded a bit." Gaara says and the Uchiha brothers' eyes widen in shock as they openly gape at him, now that Sasuke had broken the kiss with Naruto.

Itachi knew that Jinchuuriki technology was more advanced than human technology. But he had never known the degree. It only took them three days to reach a planet that would have taken his species over eight thousand years to arrive at?! That was mind-blowing.

"Yeah. Gaara is really good at math." Naruto says with a grin.

"Kid, I really don't think that's why they look like fishes right now. I think it's hard for them to process how fast our ships are and how far away Sage is." Kisame informs him.

"Oh yeah. Well it's probably a good thing. Gives them a chance to get used to space travel and Sasuke time to heal." Naruto says.

Sasuke rubs the back of his head sheepishly, with his good hand. It was going to take a lot more than three days for his arm to be fully recovered. But he really didn't feel like pointing that out to Naruto and making him feel guilty.

* * *

A few hours later and the Uchiha brothers had fallen asleep. Kisame was flying the ship for now, as they were taking shifts. This meant that the prince and Kazekage were able to observe their slumbering Mates.

"I just don't get what I'm doing wrong. I've been patient. I've been affectionate and he barely responds at all." Gaara mutters.

"Well it's hard for him. We have a natural Mating instinct. Humans don't have that. Sasuke's more responsive though. He lets me kiss and fluff him a bit. But it's hard. He won't let me go further and that was before the accident." Naruto grumbles.

Gaara nods. He knew that he was probably expecting too much. It was just his mind, soul, and body ached to be with his Mate. Itachi was barely responsive at all. He knew that the human was still processing the fact he was his Mate.

Itachi's brilliant mind had probably come up with a million reasons why Mating him was a bad idea. The red head had probably thought of two million reasons, but that didn't matter to him. Itachi was his Mate and that was the end of the story, as far as he was concerned.

"Maybe I could have Sasuke put in a good word for you. It might help Itachi warm up to you a little bit." The blonde offers.

"Do you really think that would help?" The red head asks.

"I'm not sure. But I can't see it hurting. You two need to get past the First Stage of Mating. Sasuke and I need to get past Stage Two." The blonde says with a heavy sigh.

Gaara nods. That was true. Well maybe it would help. He smiles and adjusts the cocoons around Itachi. Cocoons were what they called their blankets. At the very least, he could ensure that his Mate didn't get cold.

"You know if we can ever claim them and convince them to have hatchlings, they'll be really beautiful." Naruto muses.

"Yes, they will. Such lovely genes, they have. I've never seen such a handsome family before." Gaara muses.

Naruto nods in agreement. Things would work out eventually. It was better now. Now Sasuke was on their ship and they were going to planets that understood about Mating. No wonder would try to keep them apart anymore. He'd just have to find a way to prove to Sasuke had was a good Mate. He was sure that Gaara would manage to do the same for Itachi. He just hadn't figured out how they were going to do this exactly, but they would. Believe it!


	12. The Sharingan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our crew stops at an alien planet where they discover a surprising fact about the Uchiha Brothers' heritage as everyone back on Earth deals with the fallout of their disappearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter because now the group is officially in space. I know a lot of people have been looking forward to this part of the story. Enjoy. ^.^
> 
> Chapter Notation: I decided to add more canon elements into this. The brothers will be staying fully human in this story, but with some twists. I have had a few people request powers for Sasuke and Itachi, so I decided to add that. Hopefully everyone likes it. Also probably best not to over think this plot twist.

"I got you some tomato soup. You need to eat to keep up your strength, so you can heal faster. I know how much you like them." Naruto says as he sits down next to his Mate who was still wrapped in the cocoons.

"Thanks. Yeah, I do. I was a little hungry." Sasuke says as he accepts the offering.

Sasuke did feel a little guilty. It was obvious that Naruto was overcompensating thanks to the incident. Still if the blonde wanted to pamper him a little, well he wasn't going to turn down the soup.

"That's good. Well we should be landing in a few hours. How are you feeling?" He asks as he drapes his wings around Sasuke.

They had apparently been traveling for the better part of three days. Sasuke wasn't sure how Naruto knew this. He hadn't seen any clocks on the ship. Then again, maybe he just didn't recognize the alien version of a clock or it was possible that Naruto had some sort of instinctive understanding of time.

"Better. Are you sure this is a good idea? It sounds like there's a lot of trouble going on Sage. I don't want you to get hurt." Sasuke says.

"Don't worry. I can handle it. The toads love me. I'm not sure what their deal is, but I know we can't fix it. You'll be safe on the ship. I'll have Kisame stay back with you and Itachi." Naruto assures him.

"That's appreciated." Itachi murmurs as he looks up from his book that Gaara had given him.

It was fascinating to say the least. He didn't understand half of it. But it was a good about the various types of ships Jinchuuriki had in their fleet.

He tries not to blush. Gaara was to his credit, at least trying to be subtle. Still the elder Uchiha brother could feel the weight of his heated gaze upon him now and then.

"Gaara, why don't you come sit with me? Perhaps you could explain some of this. I'm not entirely familiar with all of the technical jargon of your species." Itachi asks.

You would have thought that Itachi had given the red head the universe, by looking at the joyous smile he displayed as he raced over to the Uchiha's side. The engineer couldn't help, but return it. It was impossible to be around someone that happy, without having it rub off on you.

Gaara quickly sets about answering Itachi's questions. He was just so thrilled that finally, Itachi was seeking out his presence. Granted it was mostly out of academic curiosity, but the Kazekage wasn't going to quibble.

"I'm surprised you trust me with this book." He muses.

"Most of the things that would be required for humans to replicate any of these ships, haven't been invented on your planet yet. Besides, you are my Mate. I would never deny you anything that brought you happiness. I know that you are an "engineer" and this sort of book interests you." He states as if this was all very obvious and to Gaara, it probably was.

Sasuke watches the other pair as he continues his lunch. He actually felt a little bad for the red head. He might be from another species, but Sasuke could tell that Gaara's feelings for Itachi were very genuine.

His brother hadn't really been giving the Kage the cold shoulder, but it had been lukewarm at best. Not that he was in any real position to talk. He hadn't gone past fluffing with Naruto yet.

"Itachi, if he wants to spoil you…I'd just humor him. That's what I'm doing with Naruto. It's nice." Sasuke says.

This earns him a rather dirty look from his brother. Gaara smiles gratefully at Sasuke. The red head reaches out to his Mate. Itachi had been pleased with his gift, maybe that would earn him the right to at least hold him a little.

"Exactly! Hey, wait. What do you mean you are humoring me?" Naruto asks.

"Just that you're going a little overboard. That's all. I like it though. So it's okay." Sasuke says as he leans back into Naruto's loving embrace.

* * *

A few hours later, they arrive on planet Sage. Kisame docks the ship. Gaara goes out with Naruto. Apparently, the red head decided his friend might need back up on the supposedly hostile planet.

"This place is massive." Sasuke whispers, remembering the image of a truly enormous mostly green planet as they were landing.

Itachi nods his head in agreement. He looks outside the window and blinks. It looked like a largely swamp like planet. Almost everywhere you looked there were green moss, trees, what he assumed was muddy green water. The skies were dark green and the clouds were a pale blue. In the distance he could see what appeared to be a white Sun.

"That's a BufoBufoian in the distance." Kisame says as he points towards a toad that was the size of a two story building.

"N-Naruto is going to try to talk to THAT?!" Sasuke demands suddenly very worried for his almost lover's safety.

"Don't worry. They love Naruto. Not sure what it is about the prince that they like so much, but he's the one that brought them into the Allied Forces. If anyone can talk some sense into them, it's him. I do wonder what has got them so spooked though." Kisame muses as if talking to an enormous toad was perfectly normal. (And maybe to Kisame it was.)

Itachi sighs and looks out the window. He was actually worried about Gaara. Whether or not he wanted to be Mates, didn't matter to him at the moment. The Kazekage was a good person. He'd rather not have him eaten or squashed to death by a giant toad.

"Gamabunta, what is going on?! Kiba said that you guys were talking crazy. You think we want to turn you into a colony or something. You know that's not true." Naruto says once they reach the leader of the BufoBufoians.

"YOU TRAITOR! We thought we could trust you. Guess we all should have known better. You two leggers are all so deceitful! How could you do this to us?! We thought you were our friends. Boy, were we wrong. Well we won't have it. We won't give up our sovereignty! He roars at Naruto.

Naruto blinks. He had no idea what had gotten into the massive amphibian, but it wasn't good. The prince makes a gesture at Gaara that indicated they might need to be ready to defend themselves.

"Where did you get a crazy idea like that from? Of course, I'm your friend! Seriously, why do you think that we want to make you a colony. All members of the Allied Forces retain individual sovereignty. You know that!" Naruto says.

"LIAR!" The leader of the BufoBufoians bellows and charges towards the two Jinchuuriki menacingly.

* * *

Back on Earth, Tsunade paces. It had been almost four days. Almost four days since Naruto had tried to attack her and Sasuke had been injured. Apparently, the day after the attack they had snuck off.

She didn't know what to do. There was no telling where they were. What if the aliens thought that her comments were grounds for war. The President had no way to get in contact with them.

"Get in touch with the leaders of other countries. I want every country monitoring the sky. I'm afraid that we will have to inform them. There's no other alternative. But we must keep the public from finding out!" She snaps at her Secretary of State, who had just arrived at the island at her request.

"You don't seriously think that an alien invasion is about to happen, do you?" Shizune asks.

Tsunade bites her lower lip. She couldn't be sure. But they had to take the proper precautions. The busty blonde was worried that she might have just jeopardized the survival of the human race by pissing off one alien.

"I'm not sure. But I do know that we have to be ready." She replies.

Kabuto smirks as he watches the President with her Secretary of State. Well Sasuke and Itachi might be gone now, but at least the truth about the aliens was out. They were NOT their friends.

He sighs. It was a pity really. This didn't have to happen. As far as the silver haired man was concerned, Sasuke and Itachi were likely dead by now or as good as dead. The aliens had taken them into space. They couldn't possibly survive there.

"They should have listened." He mutters to himself.

Sasuke and Itachi should have listened to them. If they had, they would still be alive and on Earth. He didn't know for a fact that they were dead, of course. But it was obviously going to happen.

Kabuto didn't feel particularly pleasantly disposed towards the aliens. But even if he believed their affections were genuine, the Uchiha brothers were humans. Humans had never actually lived in space for an extended period of time.

He wasn't entirely certain that their bodies somehow would be able to withstand the stress of extended space travel. What about food and water? Could the biologist and engineer consume alien foods and drinks? He doubted it.

"Madam President, I couldn't help but overhear your distress. If the aliens return are we to attack on sight?" Kabuto asks as he walks over to them.

"No. We don't want a war, if we aren't already at one. Defend yourself if need be though. I'm just not sure how this all went so wrong. Things were going so well." She mutters.

The aliens had been speaking English. Gaara, Naruto, and Kisame had patiently answered all their questions. The three of them had seemed happy. It only took one or two poorly phrased comments to have them dash off with two kidnapping victims?!

Well maybe kidnapping wasn't entirely accurate. As far as she could tell the brothers had went willingly. She could only logically conclude they were insane. Perhaps the brothers were under some sort of alien mind control. That would explain a lot.

"Of course, Madam President. I shall let the others know." Kabuto says and heads off.

* * *

He wanted nothing more than to shoot those damn birds. Still Kabuto wasn't an idiot. If the aliens were able to travel across galaxies, this was not a battle that humanity could win. He would do as she asked.

If he saw an opening though, he would find a way to put them down. It irritated him. These aliens thought they could just show up and whisk off any human they found attractive and live happily after?

Fuck that shit. That was not how this worked. Humans were not alien playthings!

"Damn them." The silver haired man growls to himself.

He wasn't entirely certain if he was damning the Uchiha brothers, the aliens, or both. The guard settles on both. Damn the brothers for being such arrogant divas and damn the aliens for kidnapping them.

The young man had hoped that maybe the brothers would see reason. Those weren't humans. They were aliens. Naruto, Gaara, and Kisame looked to be at least partially animals and acted like it at times. He couldn't understand why they would even be willing to consider them.

"Maybe they aren't. I wouldn't entirely put it past them to slip some kind of mind control device on them. That would explain why Itachi, would show an interest in Gaara. He's not even gay." He mutters in in denial.

* * *

Meanwhile Kushina was pacing back on Konoha. She was worried for her son and also what the BufoBufoians defection could mean to the alliance. They had never had a member of the Allied Forces leave before.

"Kushina, please stop your pacing. It's not going to bring Naruto home any faster. Be at ease. He's with Kisame and Gaara on one of our finest warships. Nothing is going to happen to our son." The blonde king says with a reassuring smile.

That was the wrong thing to say. He loved his Mate, but she possessed a fiery temper. Most red heads did, he observed. It didn't matter what their species was. There was just something about red head that went along with having an explosive temper.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?! HE'S OUR ONLY HATCHLING! AREN'T YOU WORRIED ABOUT HIM AT ALL?!" She demands and her wings flap angrily.

"Of course, I'm worried about him. But worrying isn't going to change the situation. Besides, he's a Nine Tails. You don't give him nearly enough credit. The boy is no longer a Hatchling. He's an adult now. My love, I know that you are worried. But do have faith." He says with a smile and reaches for his beautiful Mate.

She sighs and allows him to wrap her in his comforting embrace. The red head snuggles into his arms. It was hard to feel anxious, when she was wrapped so safely inside her Mate's wings.

Minato had always had such a comforting air about him. It was what made him a good king. The people instinctively knew that he had a kind heart and that he would look out for them.

"I know you're right. But it's just so hard." The Queen admits.

"I know. I know. Don't worry though. Naruto knows what he's doing. Yes, sometimes he can rush in without thinking things through, but it always works out in the end. You'll see. Besides, if anyone can talk some sense into them, it's him." He assures his lover.

She nods. The Queen still wasn't sure what had gotten into the BufoBufoians. It was so out of character for them. Say what you will about the toad race, they were rather stable in temperament.

"Someone must have been whispering in their ear. Otherwise none of this makes any sense." She observes.

"I'm inclined to agree. What else could cause such a drastic change in how they would greet an ally?" Minato wonders out loud.

He didn't want to say what was really on his mind. Minato didn't want to frighten his Mate further. But the King did not think this was coincidence. Someone had spoken to the BufoBufoians or done something to them. He doubted whoever was responsible, would stop at just the planet Sage. Someone might be targeting the Allied Forces and this could very well be only the beginning.

* * *

"Um Gaara, I don't think they want to talk. We should probably get back to the ship." Naruto suggests back on planet Sage.

"Good idea. NARUTO, LOOK OUT!" Gaara cries out when the tongue came flying at his friend.

The red head flies between the appendage and Naruto. He slashes his mighty talons at the tongue. The BufoBufoian cries out in pain and smashes Gaara into the ground in retaliation.

The Uchiha brothers watch this in horror from their ship. Itachi leaps out of it and flies off towards the Jinchuuriki. He was so grateful when his wings did exactly as he wanted. Itachi slams his talons into the giant toad's side, distracting it from the now dazed red headed Jinchuuriki.

"Itachi! Get out of here! You could get killed!" Gaara cries out, as he struggles to rise to his feet.

Sasuke watches in horror from the ship. He couldn't let his brother battle that THING alone. He takes flight and was soon at his brother's side.

Naruto and Gaara felt something inside them snap, when the BufoBufoians begin attacking their Mates. They had only just acquired artificial wings and talons. It wasn't a fair fight and they were outnumbered. The worst thing you can do, when dealing with a Jinchuuriki was to threaten their Mate.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Gaara snarls as he takes flight again in the air and slams into the back of one of the massive amphibians, slicing into its back with his wicked talons.

"Sasuke, take Itachi and go back to the ship." Naruto orders his Mate as he lunges at another toad.

"I'm not leaving you!" Sasuke snaps at the prince, just as Kisame arrived on the scene.

The toad rears back against Gaara. He succeeds in throwing the Kazekage off of him. Itachi flies down to the alien's side and his eyes widen in alarm when he saw a lot of a blue liquid covering him. Was this Jinchuuriki blood?!

"Gaara, you're bleeding! I think." Itachi says as he flies the other man back to the ship, hoping that there was a way to treat him.

"Guys, we should probably get the fuck out of here. I don't know what is going on, but they aren't happy to see us. I don't really feel like fighting the entire species." Kisame says.

Naruto nods. He grabs Sasuke and flies towards the ship. Kisame wasn't far behind them. Once inside, he shuts all the doors and heads to the cockpit, where proceeds to fly the ship off.

"SAND SHIELD!" Gaara calls out as they flee towards the ship.

A large wall of sand forms, blocking the massive toads. Naruto called RASENGAN, which created sort of blue attack. Whatever it was, it seemed to be scaring the Hell out of the toads. Sasuke thought it was a warning shot.

* * *

"How bad is Sandy hurt?" Kisame asks, walking over to Itachi who was bent over Gaara.

"Bad. He's bleeding a lot. At least I think that this is his blood." Itachi says and Kisame confirms that it is indeed Jinchuuriki blood.

Kisame blinks. Something freaky was going on with Itachi. He was sure the human's eyes were a smoky gray or black. Now they were crimson red.

"Itachi, what happened to your eyes?" He asks as he quickly stops the bleeding.

"My eyes?" Itachi asks in confusion and goes to look in a mirror.

He wanted to find out what the Akatsuki was babbling about. Itachi blinks. His eyes were now RED. They didn't feel painful, but he noticed that everything seemed so much more clear and defined. His vision was now a lot better.

Itachi looks himself over. He tries to find the cause of this transformation. That's when he saw it. During his fight with the BufoBufoian, it appeared he had nicked himself. Some of Gaara's blood was on his leg where he had gotten cut. His eyes widen as he realizes that some of Gaara's blood must have gotten into the injury.

"Some of his blood must have gotten into my system." Itachi murmurs.

"Um Itachi. Let's go get you scanned and see what exactly is going on with you." Naruto says, taking him to the medical scanning room.

It was a large empty room, save for a lot of computers. According to Naruto, if you stood inside it naked, the red light would move up and down your body. Then it would display your complete health information on the screen.

"Are you sure that's safe? I mean maybe this red light is damaging to humans?" Itachi asks a little uncertainly.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine." Naruto assures him and Itachi sighs as he heads into the room.

He quickly strips. The red light didn't hurt. It just felt really warm. Which was a good thing because he was standing stark naked during the scan.

"Alright, Itachi! You can come out now. Well after you dress. Gaara would probably kill me, if I saw you naked. We are very territorial when it comes to our Mates." Naruto says cheerfully.

"I hadn't noticed." Itachi mutters dryly, dresses, and heads out of the door.

"Well what's it say?" The elder Uchiha asks the alien prince as he looks at the screen that had all sorts of data on it.

Kisame glances at it as well. Well he'll be damned. He hadn't heard of this happening in a long time. Honestly, the Akatsuki thought it was nothing more than a myth.

"You have the Sharingan." Kisame says as if that explained anything.

"What the Hell is the Sharingan? Is my brother sick?" Sasuke demands to know.

It was clear neither brother was very satisfied with the extremely vague answer. The Sharingan appeared to mean something to Naruto and Kisame though. Naruto decides to explain.

"Well it hasn't been seen in a long time. That's what it's called when someone's eyes turn red and they have enhanced abilities. Basically, the Sharingan allows you to copy your opponent's moves and gives you a short term power up, I guess you could say. Um let's try something." Naruto says as he tosses Itachi an apple.

Itachi raises an eyebrow. He didn't know why the alien was tossing him an apple. He gives Naruto a questioning look that practically demanded an explanation for the odd behavior.

"Try tossing at the wall. Not hard, just soft." Naruto encourages him.

"Alright." The engineer says skeptically as he tosses the apple at the wall and blinks when the apple goes flying against it and leaves a rather sizable dent in the wall for a gentle toss.

Sasuke blinks. The Sharingan? How did Itachi get it though? It looked like an alien trait and he knew that Itachi was DEFINITELY human. He was his brother for Godsakes!

"How's that possible? Humans don't even have chakra networks, do they?" Gaara groans and Itachi rushes back to his red head's side.

"According to the scan they do. They are formed, just dormant. Really dormant." Naruto observes.

Sasuke and Itachi look at each other in confusion. Both brothers were wondering the same thing. What the Hell was chakra?

"Um I guess the simplest way to explain chakra to humans would be just to substitute the word magic for chakra. After a certain point, some species evolve the networks to hold chakra and eventually to manifest it. It's what gives Gaara his ability to use sand and me to control wind." Naruto explains.

"Does using this chakra hurt the user?" Sasuke asks.

"Only if they use up all their chakra at once. Then they would die. But you would know long before that happened. You're body begins to feel weak once your chakra starts running low. I didn't know humans even had the networks. I guess Gaara's blood must have jump started Itachi's." The prince observes.

The brothers sigh in relief at that. It looked like Itachi's life wasn't in danger. His chakra had just been activated. Neither was exactly sure what chakra was, but they got the general idea.

"That doesn't explain how Itachi has the Sharingan though. I thought only those of Kaguya Otsutsuki's line could manifest the Sharingan, if it wasn't transplanted." Gaara muses.

"Hmm, I thought Naruto's Mate looked familiar. Sasuke, come over here for a second." Kisame says as he pulls out a rather large book and flips to a page.

Sasuke blinks. On the page was a Jinchuuriki, who looked exactly like him. If he didn't know better, he would have thought it was just a picture of him with artificial wings, talons, and a tail.

"Yeah. Kid is a dead ringer for Izuna. I know that he was a warrior class and used to get scolded by Madara for traveling to distant corners of the universe. Looks like we know why now. He must have Mated with an Earth woman and kept it a secret. Does explain why he went missing around his 24th year." Kisame says.

The Uchiha brothers gape at Kisame. Was he trying to suggest that they were part alien. It sounded like a really distant part, if it was in a history book. But still that was a lot to swallow.

"Let me get this straight, you think that this Izuna was our ancestor? How far back are we talking?" Sasuke demands.

He wanted to know if this crazy theory was true, how much of him was alien. He looked completely human. So did Itachi. Sasuke didn't have feathers, talons, a tail, or even natural eye markings.

"Long time ago. Madara and Izuna are legendary in our culture. I'd say about the same time Europe was still in the Dark Ages. The blood ties are thin, but apparently they are still there. Kaguya's blood is strong it seems. You wouldn't have manifested any alien traits because of how many generations removed you are." Kisame explains.

"But Sasuke looks practically identical to this Izuna." Itachi observes.

"I know. Weird how genes suddenly reassert themselves so strongly after laying dormant that long. Well if Itachi can activate the Sharingan after his chakra network was stimulated, I bet that Naruto's Mate can too." The Akatsuki continues.

"Oh no you don't. Don't even think about it." Sasuke says as he darts behind his Mate.

Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly. He could definitely understand Sasuke's skittishness. It was one thing to have a Mate from another species, it was another to find out you had a relative who was from the same species. To actually ask him to activate his chakra network and the Sharingan when he knew basically nothing about them, was a bit much.

"Let's hold off on that. It would be wise to at least make sure that this doesn't have adverse effects on me, before giving it to Sasuke. Do you know how I make my eyes go back to normal?" He asks.

"You just will it, My Love." Gaara calls out and Itachi does exactly that.

Itachi sighs in relief. It was good to know that it wasn't permanent. He wondered if his chakra being active, was going to be or not. The eldest Uchiha nods his thanks and walks over to the red head.

"You should be resting." Itachi informs him.

"I'll be alright. I've had worse injuries." The Kazekage replies and looks up at Itachi curiously.

Itachi shivers. He was vaguely conscious that it might just be the effects of the Kage's blood in his system. Instinctively, he knew what he was feeling was the Mating bond. So this was what Gaara had been feeling for him all this time? It was a fucking wonder the red head hadn't just jumped him already. Really, he had to admire the alien's self control. It was apparently better than his because Itachi leans down and captures the other male's lips in a heated kiss. The effects of the bond were far too strong to resist and he idly noted his red head tasted like strawberries.


	13. Konoha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our couples continue to grow closer as they arrive on Konoha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad that the Uchiha ancestry elements were well received. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Yes, Gaara finally gets some love.
> 
> Chapter Notation: Dark Ages 500-1000 A.D. There is also a fairly graphic lime. Warnings are listed before and after, so up to you if you want to read it.

Gaara gasps when he felt Itachi kiss him. Finally, his Mate was beginning to accept him. He felt himself moan into the kiss and sighs in pleasure when he felt Itachi deepen it.

Sasuke blinks. He never thought he'd see his brother make out with someone in front of him. The younger Uchiha had certainly never thought Itachi would be making out with an ALIEN in front of him.

"Sasuke? Maybe we should give them some privacy." Naruto suggests and the younger Uchiha nods, allowing the blonde to escort him back to their room.

The red head allows himself a few moments to savor the affection that his Mate was bestowing upon him. Still he knew it wasn't exactly fair. It was his blood that was influencing Itachi.

Granted, he knew that on some level the human wanted him, but it was largely subconscious. The Kazekage would be taking advantage of his Mate, if he allowed him to go much further. So he lightly pushes on the dark haired man's chest and breaks the kiss.

"I truly had no idea. I knew that you wanted me but not to this extent. Your self-control is inhuman." Itachi murmurs.

"That's most likely because I'm not human. My blood is flowing through your system. I think it's allowing you to feel the bond in a way that humans normally can't. All species that we know of can feel it after the Claiming, but not necessarily before. The fact that you have distant Jinchuuriki ancestor, may also be playing a role." The red head speculates.

Gaara still couldn't believe it. The odds of him falling in love with a human were almost impossibly small to begin with considering how many species were in the universe. But he fell in love with only one of two humans who happened to carry a famous Jinchuuriki's genes?

"How long do you think it will take the effects to leave my system?" Itachi asks softly.

Gaara tilts his head to the side. Hmm that was a good question. He wasn't entirely certain that he had an accurate answer to it though.

"Your exposure to my blood was minimal at best. Still we have never studied the effects of a blood transfusion between our species. So it's difficult to say what is considered a large one or how long the effects will last. If I had to guess, I'd say a few hours. It seems like you had a very limited exposure." The Kazekage answers cautiously.

"I see. Well I don't think any of the effects were harmful. The scan would have said so. Perhaps we should follow my brother's example and find a room. Your injuries are still serious. They need more attention than they have been given." Itachi says and Gaara nods.

He heads off with Itachi. The eldest Uchiha gestures for him to lay down and takes out some of the medicinal cream that the ship had in stock. He wasn't entirely certain if it would work on humans, but Naruto had assured him that there were very few treatments that worked better on their kind.

Itachi gently applies the cream to the Kage's injuries. Gaara sighs in contentment. It was nice to be the center of his Mate's attention and to feel his gentle touches against his skin.

"I take it that this is what Naruto feels for my brother as well?" Itachi half asks and half states as he bandages the other man's injuries.

"Yes. All Mates feel this way." Gaara agrees.

Itachi knew that he hadn't actually done anything wrong, but he still felt like he should apologize. He could feel what the alien did now. It was intense. The engineer wasn't sure if he would ever be able to articulate this deep of a longing and maddening sexual desire.

Now that he had firsthand experience dealing with it, he felt that he should give the blonde and Gaara a standing ovation. How either of them had resisted the impulse just to throw him and Sasuke over their shoulders and ravish them, he didn't know. It was that intense.

"I'm sorry for treating you so coldly." Itachi whispers and caresses the red head's cheek.

"You weren't cold. Itachi, you are under the influence of my blood. We probably shouldn't go much further than kissing. I'd be taking advantage of you." The Kazekage says as he glances at his Mate with hooded eyes.

"Actually, I was leaning more towards being the one who would be taking advantage of you. Though I could be persuaded to let you take the reigns." Itachi whispers hotly into Gaara's ear, causing him to shiver.

He was at war with himself. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to accept Itachi's offer. On the other, Gaara didn't know if it was just the blood making him act this way.

"Don't tempt me. I was weak. I longed for your touch and your kiss too much. I couldn't resist your kiss. But it would be better if we waited until my blood was no longer influencing you." The red head says.

"Your blood reactivated my chakra network. My ancestor was a Jinchuuriki. Perhaps you it merely just reawakened a long forgotten instinct. Either way, have Mating bonds ever been one-sided, even between a pair from different species?" He asks.

Gaara bit his lower lip. He wanted nothing more than to enjoy the attentions of his Mate. But still, he didn't want to take advantage of him. Itachi was raising some good points though.

"It has happened, but not often. The odds are almost as small as winning the lottery." The Kazekage answers.

"I'll take those odds." Itachi says and kisses Gaara again.

* * *

Meanwhile back on Konoha, Kushina decides to call Naruto again. She was worried about him. The Queen would feel better once she heard her hatchling's voice and knew he was okay.

"Naruto." She calls out.

Naruto blinks and answers the call. Sasuke watches as Naruto takes out the circular device. The younger Uchiha was becoming somewhat familiar with it. It was the blonde's mother again. (Sasuke was getting the impression the two of them were close.)

"Hey, mom." The prince says with a big smile.

"Oh Naruto! I'm so relieved to see you. How did it go on Sage? Is your Mate well?" She asks.

"I missed you too. Um yeah, about Sage. It didn't go so well. We were lucky to escaped, relatively uninjured. Gaara got hurt, but nothing life threatening. His Mate is tending to him. We are heading back to Konoha and should be there in two tides, maybe four at most. I have so much to tell you." The blue eyed alien continues.

Sasuke watches as Naruto continues talking to his mother. He had to admit the Queen was beautiful. His Mate wasn't kidding when he said that a Mate was a Mate to them. The red headed woman didn't seem to have an issue with him not only being male, but from a completely different species.

"Does it involve your Mate?" Kushina asks.

"Yeah and his brother. It's a really long story. It'd probably be better to tell you and dad in person." The blonde says.

"Alright. Well give my best to Gaara and everyone else. Good night." Kushina says as she hangs up.

Sasuke looks at Naruto curiously. He didn't even need to say it. The prince just knew what was on his Mate's mind.

"Two tides is equal to one day on Earth. We'll be at Konoha soon. I can't wait for you to meet my mom and dad. They are going to love you. Once you get more comfortable there, we'll introduce you to the public." He explains.

"Naruto, I'm not really sure introducing me to the public is a good idea. Well unless I stay dressed like this and they think I'm one of them." Sasuke says.

Naruto shakes his head. Sasuke might have some tiny trace of Jinchuuriki blood in him, but he still thought very much like a human. Humans had issues with other humans.

There were all sorts of names to describe hating entire sects of the human species. Racism, sexism, misogyny, ageism, bigotry, and so on. Jinchuuriki didn't really have an issue with this.

Well they did to a certain extent, but Mates were a completely different class to them. Everyone just instinctively understood that a Mating Bond was not to be questioned. It didn't matter how mismatched two Mates might appear to be on the surface.

"They won't have an issue with you being human. If they find out you are descended from Izuna, you are going to be what humans call a rockstar. He and Madara were really revered back in their day." Naruto says.

"Um good to know." Sasuke mutters.

The blonde sighs and takes Sasuke into his arms. He could tell that his Mate was still feeling a little unsure. Naruto couldn't blame him. He'd probably feel more than a little skittish if the shoe was on the other talon.

"I know you're nervous. That's only natural. But you don't have to be. Just remember that I love you. You're safe with me." He says and kisses Sasuke's cheek.

"You might look like a bird, but sometimes you remind me of the puppy that followed me home." Sasuke says with an amused smile as he strokes Naruto's feathers.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto asks as he pushes Sasuke onto his back and pins him playfully.

Sasuke nods. It was amazing really. He knew that Naruto's talons were perfectly capable of shredding him to ribbons, yet he was completely unafraid of being pinned down by the much stronger alien.

Of course the youngest Uchiha would never admit that out loud. His pride wouldn't allow it. But he wasn't stupid. The blue eyed angelic being on top of him, was a lot stronger than Sasuke would ever be. Biology and evolution had just been kind to his people. Facts were facts.

"Well I guess if I'm a puppy, you should at least give me a nice bone to play with." Naruto says with a smirk as he reaches for Sasuke's pants.

"That was probably the worst pickup line that I have ever heard, but I guess you're right. You have been really good. I mean…seeing Itachi act like that, really drove it home for me. This Mating thing is a powerful instinct. It's amazing how much you've held your back until now." Sasuke muses.

He feels his face heat up when Naruto yanks off his pants and boxers like it was nothing. Apparently, the alien didn't need to be told twice. Sasuke figured Naruto just wanted to fluff some more. That was fine by him. He liked fluffing.

**Warning Lime**

"Can't be the worst one, if it worked. I'll make this good for you. I promise." Naruto says and before Sasuke could ask what he meant, the blonde takes him into his mouth.

"FUCK!" Sasuke groans when he felt Naruto's hot, wet mouth wrapped around his cock.

The youngest Uchiha hadn't really been excited before Naruto did that. Now he was finding out just how quick the blood could flow south. (Really fucking quick!) He felt himself get hard faster than he ever had in his entire life.

Naruto smirks. It felt good to hear Sasuke moan like that. It was good to know that he could please his Mate. Jinchuuriki didn't have half the gag reflex that humans did. So it was easy for Naruto to deep throat even his very well endowed Mate.

"Fuck! Naruto!" Sasuke pants and tries his best not to slam into that wonderfully wicked mouth.

It just felt so good though. Naruto was licking, sucking, kissing, and grazing his teeth over the sensitive flesh. What little wasn't in his mouth, his wings were fluffing. The velvet texture contrasted deliciously with the warmth of his mouth, driving Sasuke insane.

Naruto sucks harder. He'd never heard Sasuke be so vocal before or been treated to his scent spiking so sharply with arousal. As far as the blonde was concerned, he might as well be in what humans called Heaven.

His Mate had a natural salty taste. Vaguely, Naruto wondered if all human males tasted that way or if it was just a Sasuke thing. He decided he didn't care. He could tell that his Mate was really close to the edge. He held Sasuke's hips down firmly to keep him from fucking his throat raw. His species had less of a gag reflex, but it was still there.

"N-aruto, let go. I'm going to fucking cum." Sasuke pants out, not wanting to drench his prince in his seed.

Naruto didn't care though. He just sucked harder. Sasuke came with a scream and the blonde was perfectly content to lick him clean.

**End Lime**

"Wow." Sasuke says and wills his heart to stop pounding as his rides out the effects of his orgasm.

"Wow is good, right?" Naruto asks and Sasuke nods dumbly.

"Wow is VERY good." The Uchiha agrees and leans over to kiss his Mate.

Naruto returns the kiss. He blinks when he felt Sasuke reach for his pants. God, that was tempting. So fucking tempting.

"You don't have to return the favor. I want you to do it because you want to. I don't want you to taste me because you feel like you are obligated. Though I do really, really want you to do it eventually." The prince says quickly, especially emphasizing that last part.

"Naruto, it's not like that." Sasuke protests.

Naruto gives him a look. Yes, it was. He knew that Sasuke enjoyed it. It was only natural he'd want to respond, but Naruto hadn't been seeking that. He just wanted his Mate to feel better and to finally get past fluffing. (The prince liked fluffing, but it wasn't enough.)

"Alright. Maybe it's a little like that, but that was incredible. I don't want to leave you hanging." Sasuke says.

"You aren't. Sasuke, you were stressed. I helped to make you not stressed. It's my job as your Mate to see to your physical and emotional well-being. A job that I REALLY enjoy, by the way. But you should get some rest." Naruto says as he wraps his arms around Sasuke and snuggles into him.

"Alright. I will though. I don't want you to think that I'm a selfish lover. I'm not." Sasuke insists.

"Oh I know that." Naruto assures him and Sasuke nods, feeling satisfied at that answer.

The younger Uchiha soon drifts off to sleep in his Mate's arms. Naruto smiles and brushes the bangs out of his eyes. They were finally making some real progress.

* * *

A day and a half later, Kisame calls out excitedly to the lovebirds. They had arrived at Konoha. The blue skinned alien was preparing to enter Konoha's atmosphere.

"It's beautiful." Sasuke murmurs as he looks out the window of the warship.

Itachi nods in agreement. Konoha was massive. There were six very distinctive sections. It looked like Konoha had five continents. The ground of each continent was a different color. The oceans were blue like on earth. But the sky was red and had orange clouds.

"Do you see the sandy colored landmass?" Gaara asks Itachi and he nods.

"That's Suna. I oversee the day to day affairs of that one." He says.

The engineer blinks. That was impressive. Gaara was more or less in charge of an entire continent?!

"Which one are we landing on?" Sasuke asks and Naruto points to a green and brown one.

"That one. It's very similar to many areas on your planet. That's our forested region. It also is home to our capital city. We call it The Leaf." Naruto says with a smile.

Sasuke nods. Soon Kisame lands the ship in what the Uchiha brothers assumed was the alien version of an airport. There were lots of other ships around. Once they got out, it was clear that Naruto, Gaara, and Kisame were very easily recognizable.

Sasuke was a bit disturbed by how much the people were staring at him though. He was dressed exactly like a Jinchuuriki. They weren't staring at Itachi like they were staring at him. He looks at Naruto in confusion.

"It's because you look so much like Izuna. He was a real Jinchuuriki. Flesh and blood like us, but he died a long time ago and now he's more of a legend than anything else. I think some of them don't actually think he died. They never did find his body." Naruto whispers.

"How long do Jinchuuriki live?" Sasuke whispers back.

"If we are lucky, about a thousand earth years. But that's not due to biology. We have technology that can slow the aging process once we come of age. If you move here, you'll undergo the same treatments. I recently just started receiving the them myself." Naruto informs him.

Sasuke blinks. Naruto just told him that his people could live ten times longer than humans because of advances in medicine and that they could literally slow the aging process to a crawl! That was astonishing.

"If he was alive in the human year 1000, could he still be alive now?" Sasuke asks as they make their way to the castle.

"Yeah. He'd be really old for one of us, but yeah. It'd be like seeing a one hundred year old human walk down the street. Rare, but not impossible. They are just being superstitious though. Even if he was alive, he'd be an old man. He'd be lucky if he could still walk, let alone fly. You are young and healthy." Naruto says with a shrug.

Sasuke tries to process the fact that there was a very slight glimmer of a chance that his doppelganger of an ancestor might still be alive. With the way that Naruto's people were looking at him, they certainly seemed to think so. What had Izuna done for his memory to still burn so brightly after a thousand years? Sasuke gulps and hopes his ancestor had been a good guy and not some alien version of Vlad the Impaler.

"Come on, this way." Kisame says and leads them inside the castle.

Naruto leads them the rest of the way. Sasuke blinks as they enter a throne room. It was beautiful with white marble (or something that looked like white marble) walls and a plush red carpet. The thrones seemed to be made out of diamonds, but were covered by cushions and a red drape for the King and Queen's comfort.

The King looked so much like Naruto with his blonde hair and blue eyes. His hair was styled a little differently though and he was wearing a white robe of some kind. His wings were also white and his tail was orange, as was the skin surrounding his eyes. Sasuke had already seen Kushina through the "phone" before, but seeing her up close was almost breathtaking. He suddenly felt more than a little self-conscious.

"Welcome. It is so good to meet you in person." Kushina says, rising to her feet.

"Thank you, your majesty." Sasuke and Itachi mutter automatically and make slight bows.

Neither of them knew if they were supposed to do this. But they were going under the assumption that some things were universal. Both were worried though. For all they knew, they might be flipping her off alien style.

"Such a handsome Mate, my son has. As I said, I'm sure the grand hatchlings will be beautiful." She says, smiling at Sasuke and grabbing him by the chin, examining him.

Oh yeah, Sasuke was definitely feeling self-conscious now. Minato was less nosey and more shocked. He dropped the chalice he was drinking from and it shattered on the floor.

"Izuna?! But how?! You look as though not a day has passed?!" Minato asks.

"Forgive me, Your Highness. But my brother is not Izuna. He just…looks a lot like him. He's completely human. Well mostly human. GAARA!" Itachi cries out helplessly.

Gaara places his hand on Itachi's shoulder comfortingly. Fortunately for the distraught engineer, he knew exactly what his Mate wanted. He wanted the red head to explain the confusing situation to the King and Queen.

"It seems that Izuna must have found Earth and not have reported it. Itachi is able to manifest the Sharingan. While we were on Sage, we were attacked. I bled and some of my blood seeped into Itachi's own injuries. It not only activated his dormant chakra network, but the Sharingan. As only descendents of Kaguya can possess the Sharingan naturally, it is proof of their bloodline. The ties are extremely faint, but there. They are completely human, save for some miniscule drop or two of Jinchuuriki blood." He explains.

Itachi looks at Gaara gratefully. He was suddenly very glad to have such a skilled politician for a Mate. How the red head was able to take everything and summarize it so concisely was a mystery to him.

"That is quite a fantastic tale. I hope you don't take offense when I ask to see proof of this. The Sharingan? Can you activate it at will?" Minato asks, his attention now shifting towards Itachi.

"I believe so…" Itachi replies uncertainly and activates it.

Minato's eyes widen. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed it. The last recorded Uchiha survivor they had on record, had died two hundred years ago.

"Only you and Gaara could not only find your Mates, but the last living descendents of Izuna. Wait, you two are the last right? Do you have any family on Earth?" Minato asks.

"None that we know of. Our family all perished in a natural disaster years ago." Sasuke mutters.

"Oh. I am so sorry for your loss. But still this is astonishing news. Tell me, can you also activate the Sharingan?" He asks.

Sasuke shakes his head. No, he couldn't. Well at least he didn't think he could. Itachi had activated it after Gaara's blood got in his system. He doubted getting "tasted" by Naruto would trigger a similar reaction and no Jinchuuriki blood had gotten into his system.

"Well that makes sense. They didn't mention anything about Sasuke getting blood on him. I imagine if Itachi is capable of activating it, the potential is still within Sasuke as well. Though I don't think he'd need it. You could have so much fun pretending to be Izuna's ghost!" She says cheerfully.

Minato sighs and smacks his forehead. He loved his Mate. Truly, he did. He loved her more than anything, except for their son (who he loved equally.) But sometimes she could have such a hatchling's sense of humor.

"My love, that would cause a panic. I think we have enough on our plate now with the BufoBufoians." Minato chides her gently.

"Oh you are right. I wonder what has gotten into them." The red headed Queen muses.

Minato shrugs. It was still a mystery. He highly doubted that the toads had just randomly decided the Allied Forces were out to get them. Someone was clearly influencing them. The only questions were who and why?


	14. Two Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke and Itachi learn more about Jinchuuriki culture as another pair of brothers decide to end their long isolation and return to Konoha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: You will find out more about another set of brothers in this chapter besides Itachi and Sasuke. I made up a Jinchuuriki Calendar and hint at some of Jinchuuirki religious beliefs. This is not story is not meant to make any sort of statement about religious belief systems or the lack of them. I selected the numbers for the calendar, mostly at random to show that this is a very old and advanced civilization.
> 
> Chapter Warning: I found myself tearing up while writing parts of this chapter. If anyone else is the same way, please remember that I only write happy endings.

A few hours later, Sasuke was in Naruto's room. Well room was a bit of an understatement. Sasuke was pretty sure an entire city block could have fit inside it. Though he supposed that made sense. Naruto was a prince after all.

"Yeah, so here is a history book. It's got lots of stuff about your ancestors in it. You're famous!" The blonde says as if he thought this was just the coolest thing ever.

"Thanks. I really hope that he was famous for good things and that your people don't think that I'm some sort of homicidal manic that has found the Fountain of Youth or something." He murmurs as he opens the book and begins reading.

**Madara and Izuna Uchiha were two of the Uchiha Clan's most famous members. The Uchiha Clan was a noble family that was well known for producing Nine Tail warriors. The brothers came of age during the Great Awakening.**

**The Great Awakening is generally considered to have begun in the 10000th year of Kyuubi and ended during the 12000th year of the 53rd Kyuubi Era. During this time, Jinchuurikis made enormous advances in space travel and were able to explore space at a far faster rate than ever before. Tens of thousands of new galaxies were discovered and so were many intelligent life forms.**

**The brothers were viewed as the strongest warriors on Konoha. They were generally sent as ambassadors to other planets when intelligent life forms were discovered.**

**Madara, the elder brother, often dealt with more aggressive species. His displays of strength and ruthlessness often impressed them into viewing Konoha either was a worthy ally or at least a planet that they didn't wish to make an enemy of.**

**Izuna, the younger brother, was the widely viewed as the more "mellow" of the two. He is credited with founding the Royal Library which has become a center for intergalactic scholarship over the centuries and the Allied Forces.**

**Izuna believed that it was imperative to forge not only monetary and cultural ties with "friendly" planets, but also military alliances. He thought this would deter other planets from attacking Konoha later on.**

**While Izuna was forming the Allied Forces, Madara continued to lead the efforts to improve our space exploration technology and strengthen our weapons and defensive systems. Madara was the first person to design a shield that could cover an entire planet in event of an attack and responsible for the creation of the Rinnegan Cannon. This cannon is now on every warship in the Konoha Fleet.**

**Unfortunately, tragedy would later strike the brothers. Madara's mate was a Senju named Hashirama. The Senji was a race of beings that are deeply connected to nature and often have either psychic or healing powers.**

**Despite being passionately in love, the Mating was not successful. Hashirama was the leader of his planet and couldn't leave it to be with Madara. Madara was too dedicated to Konoha to leave his own planet. Thus their bond was broken and the Mates went their separate ways.**

**The broken bond drove Madara to madness. It was only thanks to Izuna that Madara didn't destroy the Leaf in a rage. No one knows what the final fate of the brothers ended up being.**

**We do know one thing though. Izuna managed to defeat his brother in battle and escort him onto a warship. (Madara was already weak from a self-imposed starvation and thus Izuna had the advantage in this final battle). But neither was heard from ever again.**

**It is assumed that both are dead, but no bodies have been recovered. To this day, the Legend of the Two Brothers is still widely known and many Jinchuuriki do hope that one day, they might return.**

**Hashirama continued his reign for centuries, eventually taking a wife and producing a single heir. Thus his bloodline still continues on. Most assume it was strategic marriage and not a love match, despite the Queen's beauty. The two of them turned their planet into one that is renowned across the universe as a symbol of peace and scientific advancement.**

"That is so tragic." Sasuke mutters as he finishes reading about his ancestors' lives.

"Yeah. It's really sad. A broken bond is rare. If Hashirama hadn't been the leader of his planet or Madara had been willing to leave Konoha, the bond wouldn't have been broken. I guess that's why so many people want to believe that their out there somewhere and still alive. Everyone wants a happy ending." Naruto says and Sasuke nods.

Sasuke nods. He couldn't imagine what Naruto would do if their bond was broken. He felt bad for Madara and his brother. He tried to picture him and Itachi in such a situation and he couldn't do it.

"It says during the 10000th and 12000th year of Kyubbi. How do your people keep track of years?" Sasuke asks.

"I guess it's sorta similar to your Chinese Years. We go in cycles. Konoha has Nine Gods and Goddesses. We have eras. Eras last 12,000 years. After Kyubbi, the Golden Era starts which also lasts 12,000 years." Naruto says.

"Uh huh. So what is the Golden Era exactly?" Sasuke asks.

"Well generally the Golden Era is considered to have the best aspects from all the previous cycle's eras and to be considered a time of good fortune. Most of our kind only live a thousand years or so. So despite having been through these cycles before, your odds of being alive during a golden era are slim. We happen to be at the beginning of a Golden Era now. Which must be why I found you." Naruto explains with a grin.

Sasuke rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Naruto could be very romantic when he wanted to be. He highly doubted his arrival was somehow cosmically designed to coincide with the Golden Era. But he didn't have an issue with letting Nauto believe that, if it made him happy.

"That's sweet in a very sappy way." Sasuke says and kisses Naruto's cheek.

"It's the truth." Naruto says and wraps his wings around Sasuke.

"Shit! Um is it possible to get in touch with Earth from here? Itachi and I really should probably try to talk to Tsunade." He mutters.

Naruto's eyes flash gold. Sasuke gulps slightly. Yeah, Naruto was still angry with Tsunade. Damn. The younger Uchiha suddenly notes with some alarm, that Naruto can really carry a grudge.

"Yeah. It's possible. I wouldn't bother though. We aren't going to attack Earth over her bad behavior." He mutters.

"Naruto, she wasn't behaving badly. She was just concerned for my well-being. Besides, we know that you won't attack Earth. But she doesn't. I don't want people panicking down there. I mean we left a message, but still." He says.

The blonde sighs. He hands Sasuke the circular device. The prince quickly explains that he left one in Tsunade's pocket. He had slipped it in there, while she wasn't looking in case something like this happened.

"Thank you." Sasuke says with a smile.

"I'd do anything for you. That even includes allowing your Queen to hear your voice, even though she does not deserve that privilege after what she pulled." He mutters in annoyance and Sasuke places the call.

* * *

Meanwhile Itachi was walking with Gaara around the palace. The red head was giving him a tour. A medical scan had shown that the red head's blood head been filtered out of his system by now, but he still felt different.

It was hard to articulate exactly. He felt more alive somehow. Hyper almost. He supposed this was what a cat felt like before it would lunge at a mouse. Was this this the normal state of being for Gaara's people?

"So basically, the other Jinchuuriki are going to think my brother is either Izuna or more than likely they will believe Sasuke is his ghost?" He asks softly.

"That's correct. We might actually have to make a public announcement that he isn't. I'm sure the rumors are already spreading. This would be the human equivalent of King Arthur strolling down the streets of England on Earth. It's going to cause a reaction. I just hope it doesn't cause a panic." The Kazekage replies.

Itachi nods. The elder Uchiha brother idly wonders how Gaara knew about King Arthur, but he quickly dismisses that thought. It was possible he had just read it in one of the many history books that Itachi had lent the red head.

The engineer then frowns and bites his lower lip. He had seen the picture of Izuna. The engineer could certainly understand why people might think that about Sasuke. An announcement might be the wisest course of action to take.

"I would hate to put him through that sort of spectacle before he is comfortable being on this planet. But it might be necessary." The Kage continues.

"I understand completely. I'm sure that Sasuke does as well. Don't worry about it." Itachi says.

"Come. I am curious about something. Let's see what class is most dominant in you." Gaara says with a smile and takes Itachi's hand.

Itachi raises an eyebrow. He had heard about the different classes. Naruto was a warrior. Gaara was a member of the ruling class. He didn't think that humans could get tasted for classes.

"Does that work on humans and how is this test conducted? Is it painful?" He inquires cautiously.

"The class test can be performed on any species. The most accurate reading is a blood test. But as long as you give a genetic sample, you still get a very accurate reading. A hair, skin, or saliva sample also works. I would never have you do something that was painful, merely to sate my curiosity." Gaara assures him.

Itachi nods. Well he supposed he was a little curious. After all, apparently a tiny part of him was Jinchuuriki. Arguably, it was a microscopic part. Still the results could prove interesting.

"Alright. I am a little skittish about giving a blood sample. I think a hair sample might be best." He says and Gaara leads him off to be tested.

"My Mate would like to be Class Tested. He wishes to provide a hair sample." Gaara explains.

The other Jinchuuriki nods. He smiles and takes the hair that Itachi provided. The doctor, well at least Itachi thought he was a doctor, places it inside a machine. Soon enough a card is ejected from the machine.

"That will list your classes. Well that or class. Extremely rare to be 100% though." The doctor explains.

"What's it say?" Gaara asks curiously as he tries to peek over his Mate's shoulder to get a look.

"40% scholar, 30% warrior, 20% nurturer, and 10% ruler class." He says.

Gaara blinks. Most people tended to have two or three classes. It was fairly rare to get four, especially when it was relatively evenly distributed.

"What is nurturer?" Itachi asks after a few moments.

"Oh they are the class of people that are generally responsible for looking after hatchlings, when the parents are unable to. They are our teachers and caregivers. There is sometimes a slight overlap with the healer class. In that case, those nurturers specialize in the medical care of hatchlings." Gaara explains.

"Well that makes sense. Hmm we should have Sasuke take this." Itachi muses.

It could be worth more than a chuckle to see what results his brother got. Yes, Itachi was definitely going to have Sasuke take the test. This would be fun.

"What were your results?" The engineer asks the Kazekage curiously.

"70% ruling class and 30% warrior." Gaara answers him.

"Is that considered normal to have it tilted so heavily?" Itachi asks curiously.

Gaara considers the question. Hmm well yes and no. How could he possibly explain this?

"Most people's dominant class is expressed much higher than their secondary classes. For any one class to hit 70% or above, is fairly rare and considered a very strong preference." He explains.

"Ah I see. Did you ever test Kisame?" He asks with a mischievous smirk.

Gaara shakes his head. No way. If Kisame got a higher warrior percentage, he'd never let him live it down. It was bad enough being called Sandy. The red head wasn't going to allow the other alien to call him a dove.

"No. I don't think that's a good idea. He's naturally competitive." Gaara informs Itachi.

Itachi chuckles. That could prove most amusing. He nods his head sympathetically at his Mate's assessment. God only knows what the Akatsuki had done to merit it.

He bites his lower lip and stops chuckling. He'd thought of Gaara as his Mate. The engineer knew he no longer had the excuse of the Kazekage's blood influencing him anymore. Was this how Sasuke felt about Naruto? It felt so utterly foreign and at the same time so natural to think of the other man this way.

* * *

Meanwhile on planet Chidori, Izuna frowns as he watches the video feed. It couldn't be. He knew that his union with his Mate had borne him a hatchling. But as was so often the case in those days on Earth, she died in childbirth.

He simply didn't have the technology required to help her give birth in the manner of his people. It would have meant going back to Konoha. Izuna couldn't risk it at the time.

The warrior was almost positive if he and Madara went back, his brother would have been put down like a rabid animal. Besides, his Mate was human. Surely, she could give birth the human way. That was the biggest regret in his life. If only he had gone back, she might still be alive and with him.

"Madara, it seems we are not the last, after all." Izuna informs his brother.

He didn't receive much of a response. Izuna hadn't expected any response at all actually. So the fact that Madara glanced at him was encouraging.

The once proud Jinchuuriki had been driven mad from the self-imposed separation of his Mate. It had simply been too painful for them to go back and forth. To be with each other and then not.

They had ended things. Then something inside his brother snapped. It was all that Izuna could do to knock his brother out and drag him to a warship before he could hurt someone in his blind rage.

"The resemblance is a bit eerie really. If I didn't know better, I'd say that I was looking at myself a thousand years ago." He muses.

Madara shocks Izuna by walking over to him and looking at the tape. He blinks. He looks at Sasuke and then back at Izuna.

"He could be your twin." He states simply, but the words brought great joy to Izuna.

It was a rare day that Madara was lucid and felt like talking. Most days, he said nothing and had a far away look in his eyes. Izuna knew that he was thinking of his beloved Mate. It pained him greatly to see his brother retreat so far into himself. Despite his best efforts, he almost could never reach him.

"I know. It's a good thing that I still have my AFC." Izuna says with a sly smile.

Izuna may have become a recluse in his old age, but that didn't mean he took no interest in the affairs of the Allied Forces. On the contrary, it was his "Hatchling" in a way. He had known something was wrong on Sage, when a ship was attacked.

He still had his Allied Forces Communicator. The device was commonly referred to as an AFC. This allowed him to peek in on any planet that was a member of the organization. So he knew something was wrong with the giant toads.

The fact they had attacked an allied ship, stunned him. He had never heard of a member of the Allied Forces, attacking another member. It disturbed him greatly enough to travel there to see what was going on.

As curious as Izuna was, he had departed before he could be caught. He had seen what he needed to see. Someone was influencing the BufoBufoians and it likely wasn't for benevolent reasons.

Before darting off he had slapped a tracker on the ship. He wanted to know what was going on at the palace. His AFC wouldn't allow him to see that. It's rage was too narrow for such a thing. This is how he later discovered that he still had two living descendents.

"Do you regret it? Do you regret leaving your Hatchling behind on Earth?" Madara asks.

Izuna blinks. This was the most coherent he had seen Madara behave in years. He supposed he should enjoy it while it last. Who knows how long it would be before the next bout of lucidity might come along?

"Some days. I know that I did the right thing though. I wouldn't have been able to care for her properly when I was so stricken with grief. Giving her to a human family was the kinder option. If she had any children, they would only be a quarter Jinchuuriki. They would have blended in with humans almost seamlessly. Well that was my hope anyway. It seems my gamble did pay off because I have two mostly human descendants now." He mutters.

His daughter had been half Jinchuuriki. Fortunately, she had only inherited talons and eye markings. Truthfully, she had been the most beautiful Hatchling that he had ever seen. Then again, that might have just been a father's love speaking.

Izuna wondered if with all human-Jinchuuriki hybrids would only display eye markings and talons. Perhaps the alien traits they displayed would vary from hybrid. He supposed it didn't matter in the end. He and Madara were the only members of their kind that knew about Earth at the time. So there likely weren't going to be other hybrids, for a very long time. (If ever.)

"I wish that Hashirama and I had had a Hatchling. Then I would still have a piece of him with me. You did the right thing, Izuna. You shouldn't feel guilty over it, but I suppose it's only natural to do so." Madara says.

He had cloaked her alien traits. It was a special cloak. One that was designed to last for two hundred years. He knew that most humans in that era were very lucky to see forty years. Still he figured it was better to have it last longer than needed, than not enough.

Once towards the end of her life, he had visited his daughter. She had fallen ill. The woman had always had more of a resistance to human illnesses than most people. She had become a healer. One disease that she had been exposed to was too much for her elderly body though.

"I did visit her once. She lived a long life for a human. I believe she was happy. She thought I was an angel. Probably because of my wings. I didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. I held her as she passed on. She told me that she had children and grandchildren. But that was so long ago. I assumed the line would have died out by now." Izuna mutters.

"You should have known better. Our blood is strong. It will find a way to survive, no matter the situation. Take us for example, both of us should have been dead centuries ago. Yet, here we are." Madara mutters in a bitter tone.

Izuna sighs and embraces his brother. He loved him dearly. If it wasn't for him, the warrior knew he would have welcome death's sweet embrace long ago. Caring for Madara provided him with a reason to go on. Maybe that was why Madara had survived as well. Even lost in the depths of madness, he still wanted to protect his little brother.

"You seem more yourself today than you've been in a very long time. I have missed you." Izuna admits.

"Don't hug me like some nurturer. I am not a Hatchling that needs coddled. I suppose seeing the Hatchling that looks so much like you used to, probably helped. I can not promise that I will stay this way though." Madara warns him.

Izuna nods. His brother had retreated into himself for centuries. Once in a great while, he might seem perfectly functional. But those times were few and far between. Still he treasured those rare moments.

"Of course not, brother." He says with a smile.

"Izuna, let's go home. I may or may not stay like this, but I'm old now. If I were to lose myself again, I could be stopped. You deserve a chance to see your hatchlings. It wouldn't be fair of me to keep you here even longer than I have." Madara states.

"They might put you down. If you lose yourself again. They might have you killed for everyone's safety. I couldn't bare to lose you too!" Izuna says.

Madara sighs. He rests his hand on his brother's shoulder. He had sacrificed everything to care for him. Now it was time that he returned the favor.

"Then I will die and be reunited with my Mate. In that case, you should be happy for me. Besides, at our age…you would likely follow me not that long after. Come, we've been gone too long. I do hope that I retain coherency long enough to see the look on all of their faces when we arrive." He says with a smirk.

"I hope that as well." Izuna says with a smile and leads Madara to a ship.

* * *

Meanwhile back on Earth, Tsunade paces. She still didn't know if there was going to be a war or not. It had been a few days. That didn't mean anything though. Maybe they were just gathering their army and preparing for an alien invasion!

That's when she felt a buzz in her pocket. She blinks and pulls something out. It was a circular device. She opens it and screams in fright when she saw Sasuke in the device as if it was a mini computer or something.

"Please calm down, Madam President. We didn't mean to frighten you. I'm sorry that we left so abruptly." Sasuke says.

Tsunade blinks. Didn't mean to frighten her?! They had just up and left. The only courtesy they showed her was leaving one vague message.

"Didn't mean to frighten me?! We have all been worried sick that an alien invasion was about to happen and all you have to say is that you didn't mean to frighten me?!" She demands.

Sasuke rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Well they had left a message, but in hindsight they had handled the situation poorly. He just really didn't want to argue with Naruto when he was clearly in such a bad mood.

"Yeah. Um sorry. But there isn't going to be any invasion. So you can all relax now. It's alright." Sasuke reassures her.

"Put loverboy on the phone! I want to talk with him right now!" Tsunade growls at Sasuke.

"I don't think that's a good idea. You should probably calm down first. You don't want to start that sort of conversation while you are already hot under the collar." Sasuke warns her.

Tsunade twitches. She promptly tells Sasuke off. The busty blonde clearly wasn't going to be reasoned with. Sasuke sighs and hands Naruto the phone.

"You really need to stop yelling at Sasuke for things that aren't his fault. Gaara and I took them to see our home planet. No, we aren't planning on attacking Earth. There's no need. Sorry, for worrying you." Naruto says.

Sasuke watches anxiously. It was the battle of the blondes and not in a good way. Damn it. He really needed to find a way to fix this.

"When will they be arriving back on Earth?" Tsunade demands.

"…" Naruto is speechless.

Sasuke blinks. He takes the phone back. The biologist knew that he had to come up with a suitable answer that would satisfy both parties.

"We are probably going to be here awhile. I don't know when we are coming back to Earth. I don't know how Itachi feels, but I might end up moving here and just visit Earth occasionally. I have everything I want here. I have Naruto, my brother, and this is every scientist's dream. I'm surrounded by intelligent alien life. This is a very advanced civilization. You should see it. It's beautiful here." Sasuke says in a rush.

"Very well. Well I'm glad there isn't a war going on. I do worry for your safety. Though I must admit that you are doing a great service to humanity as a whole. This is quite the risk you and Itachi are taking to learn more about them." She observes.

"I'm happy to do it. I love Naruto and Itachi is over the Moon to be on this planet. There is so much we are learning here. It'd take all day to explain it. Well I should probably go. Good night, Tsunade. I will call you again later." He says and hangs up.

Naruto hmpfs. He really disliked the busty blonde implying that it wasn't safe for Sasuke to be here. He would always protect his Mate. How dare she suggest otherwise?!

"Naruto, don't give me that look. You just have to understand from a human perspective, it all looks very risky. They don't have your instincts." Sasuke says.

"They?" Naruto asks and tilts his head.

Sasuke said they. It was as if he didn't consider himself part of them anymore. Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue, but perhaps his finding out he had an alien ancestor had impacted him more than Naruto thought.

"Yes, humans. We don't have the same instincts. This is all very new to us. Please just give her some time. She's not a bad person. Tsunade just doesn't understand yet." Sasuke says.

"Alright. I'll try to give her some time. You should get some rest. Does your arm still hurt you?" Naruto asks.

"Not when I'm with you. I barely think about it." Sasuke says reassuringly and Naruto smiles.

He kisses his Mate's forehead. The blonde then pulls Sasuke into his chest and wraps his wings around him tighter. His Mate could be very romantic when he wanted to be. Naruto was hopeful that Sasuke would allow him to claim him soon. After all, he was letting him fluff and taste him now. That was progress!


	15. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danger lurks just around the corner as the Uchihas enjoy their homecoming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: Two new species of aliens are introduced. One is mentioned only vaguely in passing and the other is critical to the plot. Itachi also gets an eyeful and has some naughty thoughts, but I didn't think it merited a lime warning.

Itachi smiles as he lays in his "blankets" and listens to Gaara talk about Suna. One wing was draped underneath him and one was laying on top of him. He was perfectly cocooned in the silky feathers. It was a very luxurious and hedonistic feeling.

"I suppose the closet equivalent on Earth to Suna, would be Africa or the Middle East. Though Suna is a lot less chaotic." He continues.

Itachi's lips twitch upwards in amusement. Yes, Gaara was definitely a politician. The elder Uchiha brother could tell he was trying to be tactful with his description of the two different regions on Earth. He did appreciate it.

The Jinchuuriki was clearly very proud of his home. His Mate wasn't arrogant about it, but there was definitely more pride when he talked about Suna than other regions. It was interesting to note that nationalism apparently was something species didn't grow out of. (That or it took a very long time.)

"It does sound beautiful." Itachi says.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you, but it is. I can take you there, if you want when this is all settled. I imagine Naruto will want Sasuke to stay in the Leaf with him. But you two could visit each other with ease. Travel between different regions is very easy. One just uses the Stargates." Gaara assures him.

Itachi nods. If they could travel across galaxies, traveling across continents was likely child's play. Still he was a little skittish about using a Stargate. While the child in him was joyous at the prospect, the adult in him was worried about possible side effects on the human body.

The red head smiles and curls up further against his Mate. It had been a few days since Itachi found out his classes. They were going to drag Sasuke off to be tested, but apparently Naruto had shown him the Royal Library. So they probably weren't going to see him for a few days at least.

"I'm surprised that you aren't still at the library." He muses.

According to Itachi, the Royal Library was _"Every scientist's wet dream."_ Itachi had already seen the library. So he was content to enjoy a few lazy days of cuddling with Gaara while everyone tried to figure out what was wrong with the BufoBufoians.

"It's amazing. Still, I prefer to have the information personally narrated by you. I enjoy being wrapped in your wings while you do so, more than reading a book." Itachi smiles at the thought.

"That's most fortunate for me." Gaara states and runs his fingers through his Mate's silky dark tresses.

Gaara vaguely wonders if all human hair had this texture. Perhaps it varied as much as the wing texture of his kind? Sasuke's hair appeared to be more spiky than his brother's. Maybe his was more coarse than Itachi's?

"You seem to really like my hair." Itachi muses.

"It's beautiful and feels nice between my fingers. Much like the rest of you, I'm sure." The red head responds with a teasing smile.

Itachi feels his face heating up in a slight blush. He knew that he couldn't pawn it off to Gaara's blood anymore. The night before he had indulged in his curiosity. He couldn't help but remember what he discovered.

_"Gaara, I understand now the strength of the bond from your perspective, but I can't deny that I have concerns." Itachi told him._

_"What concerns do you have? If it is about my talons, they are retractable." The red head assured him and retracted them to look like human fingernails to prove his point._

_"Well no, it's not about your talons. Though that IS a relief. It's about our more southern anatomy. You don't…you know, do you?" The human asked._

_Gaara tilted his head. Itachi knew that he must have confused him with his vagueness. Damn it. He was going to make the engineer actually say it._

_"Your genitals are not exotic, right? They aren't like made of tentacles, scaly, or anything of that nature…?" The elder Uchiha brother inquired with a deep blush._

_"Ohhh. No. In that respect Jinchuuriki are rather similar to human males." The Kazekage informed him._

_Itachi sighed in relief. Wait, rather similar? That meant there were differences. He should probably get some clarification._

_"Would you mind if I looked for myself?" The darker haired male questioned him._

_"Not at all. Anytime you want to see me naked, all you have to is ask." Gaara told him and promptly stripped._

_Jinchuuriki were apparently not a race that was bashful about there bodies. Then again, that could just be a Gaara thing. Well either way, he had no reason to be embarrassed anyway. Holy fucking cock!_

_It looked perfectly human. The rather similar apparently referred to size. To say the Kazekage was well endowed would have been an understatement. Mercifully though, there were no tentacles or scales._

_"Good to know. Well everything looks compatible." Itachi said._

_"What is the human saying? I'll show you mine, if you show me yours. Well I showed mine…" Gaara said and Itachi remembered blushing redder than he ever had in his life._

_He supposed it was only fair. The Kazekage had indulged his borderline rude questioning. Itachi stripped. Gaara seemed to approve. The elder Uchiha brother was rather surprised when somehow the red head, didn't just jump him. His self-control really was impressive._

"You are a natural flirt. Did anyone ever tell you that?" Itachi asks.

"Only you. You're the only one that I've ever tried to seduce." Gaara informs him.

"Do your people…have relationships with those that aren't their Mates?" Itachi inquires.

"Sometimes. Everyone understands such relationships are what humans would call friends with benefits at most though." The red head tells him and Itachi nods.

It was hard to wrap his mind around. Gaara's kind apparently just knew who they were supposed to be with. That would save so many people, so much heartache on Earth. He wondered if humans would ever evolve such an instinct or maybe they had lost it somewhere along the way.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Royal Library, the prince was having a grand ole time. Sasuke was apparently feeling more frisky than usual. The blonde assumed that was because of the tasting. That was a universal motivator for males, no matter their species.

"You really are such a scholar. Books and a nice tasting is all that you really needed to get going. You should have just told me that." Naruto says with a grin after breaking the kiss.

"You're really good with your mouth, but it's more than that. I just feel _different._ it's hard to explain. Hyper maybe?" Sasuke asks.

Naruto tilts his head. His Mate was many things. Hyper generally wasn't one of them.

Maybe being around so many other Jinchuuriki was influencing him somehow. He did have a few Jinchuuriki genes in him. Maybe he was experiencing something similar to what Itachi had felt with Gaara's blood, but in muted form?

"I think that's because you are around a lot of Jinchuurikis now. Might just be some latent instincts. Do you wanna get looked over by a healer, just to be on the safe side?" The blonde asks.

"Well I was kinda enjoying making out, but yeah. Good idea." Sasuke says as he heads off with Naruto.

He leads him to a healer. Naruto tries his best to describe what was going on with his Mate. Sasuke had to give the hyper blonde an A for effort. He doubted that he could have given a better explanation. It was hard to articulate exactly what was going on with him.

"Well we can do a health scan and then go from there. I still can't believe how much your Mate resembles Izuna. You do have excellent taste, Your Majesty. He is quite stunning. Sasuke, please get into the scanning room and strip. Don't worry, the scan only takes a few moments and won't hurt you." The healer assures him.

Sasuke nods and heads into the scanning room. It was flattering, though slightly disturbing to hear another alien basically call him hot. Though he figured that had more to do with Izuna's mystique than just his physical appearance.

The younger Uchiha shivers once he was naked in the scanning room. He felt vulnerable. He didn't really like being naked on an alien planet. Well at least the red light was warm as it conducted its scan.

"You can dress and come out now. The scan is done." He hears the alien doctor say.

Sasuke nods. He quickly dresses and heads outside of the room. He looks as the healer was reading what looked like some sort of medical results.

"Well the reason that you are feeling hyper is because your chakra networks are being stimulated. Probably because you are around so much chakra here. The chakra is in the very air itself because there are just so many of us walking by everyday. Your body is naturally reacting. It's fascinating to see that humans do have chakra networks though." He muses.

Naruto tilts his head. He knew that Itachi could use his Sharingan. So Sasuke's brother could use chakra. He didn't think that his Mate would be able to though. He hadn't been exposed to any blood.

"Does that mean he's going to be able to use chakra?" The blonde asks.

"Well the pathways are slowly opening. You could compare it to a flower blooming. Prolonged exposure to the traces of chakra in our air will likely finish opening them. The chakra is already there. It just hasn't had a place to travel through before. You primary type of chakra is fire, by the way." The physician informs Sasuke.

Sasuke blinks. He was getting alien powers?! Wait. Had the doctor just told him, that he had fire power?

"Wind is my primary affinity. I guess that explains the attraction. I just fan your flames." Naruto grins at him.

"Naruto, that's really sweet and all…but the nice doctor just told me that I have fire magic. I don't want to accidentally burn the palace down or something!" Sasuke protests.

"That would be quite impressive if you were able to melt these walls. But don't worry, you can be taught how to control it. I suppose I should have anticipated you would have fire as your primary. The Uchiha Clan was well known for being connected to fire. Hmm I should probably test your brother as well. Oh and while you were here, did you want class tested?" The physician continues.

Sasuke blinks. Well he had been a little curious. He bites his lower lip. Still he was a little unsure. How did they run these tests anyway?

"I will need a blood, hair, skin, or saliva sample. Whichever you feel most comfortable providing. Blood samples give the most accurate results. But even hair samples have a 98% accuracy rating. That's the lowest accuracy, though hair samples are rather convenient." He continues.

"Alright. Hair sample sounds good then." Sasuke yanks out a strand of his hair and hands it to the doctor.

"Thank you. Now you see, I just place it into this machine. Then it will spit out a report which will tell us your class or classes. It is extremely rare to only have one class. Most people have 2-3. The most classes that I've ever seen listed before was eight." The healer slides the hair into the machine.

A few minutes later, the card is ejected from the machine. The doctor glances at it. Then he reads the results.

"55% warrior class and 45% scholar. It's rare to see someone so evenly balanced." He muses.

"Hmm that surprises me. Would have thought he'd be like 80% scholar and 20% warrior. But good to know." Naruto smiles cheerfully and wraps his arms around his almost lover.

Sasuke nods. He smiles and leans into Naruto's hold. It was nice to be held in such a way. Idly, he wondered what Itachi's results would be. Maybe he should ask him to take the test. It could be fun to compare.

* * *

Elsewhere in the universe, Pein goes and checks on his Mate. Her name was Konan. Currently, she was in a cage and thrashing around wildly.

"I really wish you wouldn't fight it. It's much less painful that way. The Gastropoda are only trying to help. You'll see that it's better this way." He says as he reaches over to try to caress her cheek.

Pein quickly retracts his hand, when she tries to bite him. Damn it. He was at war with himself. His Mate was clearly unhappy with him. But the Gastropoda were right. The Allied Forces couldn't be allowed to continue to exist as an organization.

"Pein, stop this! You aren't in control of yourself. Those damn slugs have got in your head! This isn't you!" She screams at him.

The Gastropoda were a race of alien slugs. They could change their size. When they wanted to, they could be as large as BufoBufoians. Most of the time though, they were in a much smaller former. No bigger than an inch or two.

This was an adaptation. It allowed them to easily slip into an ear of a host. Normally, it was a symbolic relationship.

"You'll see in time that this was the right decision. Konan, just accept your Gastropoda and things will be much easier. I don't like seeing you in such pain." He pleads with her.

The Gastropoda were arguably one of the smartest species that had ever been discovered. Still they could only hold their largest form for a few hours at time. They had traded physical strength for intelligence sometime during their evolution.

The slugs got protection from their host. In exchange, they usually offered some sort of benefit. They might give their host special medical or technical knowledge for example. So normally, it was seen as a good thing if you were a host to one of the slugs. But as with all species, not all Gastrophaians were good.

"Never. This is treasonous and you know it. You need to fight that damn slug. You can overcome it, if you out stubborn it. You know that they can't maintain control over a host, if the host fights them long enough. You can do it. I know you can." She pleads.

Pein sighs. He could only hope someday that she understood. He was doing this for her and all of their kind. The Allied Forces couldn't last. Eventually, individual sovereignty would become a thing of the past.

In order to join, you already had to meet certain conditions. It was really only a matter of time before these conditions would eventually encroach on each planet's ability to govern themselves. Why couldn't she see that?

"I don't want to fight it. They are right on this matter. You know that as well. Deep down, you know that they are right. Just stop fighting it, my love. It doesn't have to hurt that much." He whispers, trying to reason with her.

Konan growls. Damn it. He wasn't going to fight that fucking slug. She was forced to fight on her own then. She'd kick this damn invader out of her head and find a way to save her Mate.

She wasn't going to allow the Allied Forces to dissolve because some slugs thought they knew what was best for them. The Forces had served all the planets within the organization well for a long time. There was no reason to disband it.

"The BufoBufoians were more a test than anything. They just wanted to see how long they could maintain control over an entire species. Of course they realized the toads weren't going to leave their planet to attack the entire alliance. This was only the first step. Perhaps by the time we are ready to start on the second, you will have seen reason. Good night, my love." He says with a heavy sigh and heads off.

* * *

Meanwhile Izuma and Madara arrive on Konoha for the first time in centuries. They land and get out of their ship. Madara smirks when he hears the gasps of their fellow Jinchuuriki when they walked out of their ship.

Their hair may be gray with age now. Their wings far more brittle and a bit smaller than they had been in their youth. The brother's skins showed the signs of their long existence, but there was no mistaking them for anyone else.

"IT'S MADARA AND IZUNA!" Someone shouts out.

"Why am I always mentioned second?" Izuna whispers to Madara.

"It's because I'm older and better looking, my dear brother. Do not take it to heart. You are quite attractive. It's just there can only be one most handsome Uchiha." He states with a smirk.

Izuna raises an eyebrow. Excuse him?! Madara was older, but he was certainly not more attractive.

"Your hair looks like a Porcupinia! I am far more attractive." Izuna protests and Madara shakes his head, muttering something about delusional little brothers.

It didn't take long for one of the other Jinchuuriki to rush off into the palace. Madara and Izuna were content to wait there. They knew it would only be a short while until the current King and Queen of Konoha came for them.

"Izuna, Madara?" Minato asks in shock.

Kushina openly gapes. It couldn't be. The brothers had returned, seemingly unharmed? But how? Why? It had been a thousand years.

"Yes, those are our names. Forgive our rudeness. We probably should have notified you that we were coming, but we were just too excited to wait. I believe that our descendants are somewhere in your castle. One of them greatly resembles me in my youth." Izuna says.

The Monarchs look at each other uncertainly. Madara and Izuna wanted to see Sasuke and Itachi. Obviously, there was the familial tie there. Was that all though? Was that the reason why they had returned after being gone for ten centuries?

"Forgive me, if I am being rude. But what are your intentions towards them? They are not like us. They are human. Sasuke and Itachi are strangers in our land. Both of them are still learning our ways." Kushina manages to say.

"Our intentions are to see the only family that we have left, Your Majesty. Now if you would kindly tell us where we can find them, that would be very much appreciated. It has been a long journey. We are not as young as we once were. We would like to see them and rest." Madara replies.

Kushina felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Despite his words, she felt it in her bones that she was dealing with someone very dangerous. Madara and Izuna might be old, but they were still amongst the strongest warriors that Konoha had ever produced. There was a warning implicit in the elder brother's response. _"If you keep us from them, you will regret it."_

Minato places his hand on his Mate's shoulder. He felt her unease. Frankly, he shared it. But there was little they could do about it. He simply nods his head and gestures for the two men to follow them inside the castle.

"Sasuke! Itachi!" Minato calls out.

First they found Itachi. He was with Gaara. Minato wasn't surprised by this. Apparently, the red head was Itachi's Mate.

Privately, he did note that the Uchiha Clan's looks hadn't faded through the generations. He preferred females, but there wasn't really any denying that Itachi and Sasuke were indeed handsome creatures.

Gaara's eyes widen. He instinctively wraps his wings around his Mate tighter. Itachi looks up and was probably gaping like a fish. He had seen the pictures in the history books. Before him stood Izuna, aka Sasuke's older identical alien twin, and Madara.

"Well it's good to know that their instincts are so intact. You already found your Mate? I am Madara. This is Izuna. I suppose for simplicity's sake, you can just think of me as your uncle or one of your ancestors. Izuna is your…grandfather with many greats before that title." He explains pleasantly.

Madara was looking Itachi up and down. Hmm it was difficult to place him. A scholar or a warrior? Well it was always good to have some scholars in the Clan. There wasn't much point in being the strongest warriors, if they were all too stupid to properly utilize their strength.

"Hello. I'm Itachi." The younger man says, feeling unsure of what one was supposed to say in a situation like this.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. We had thought that our line completely died out. Hmm and your Mate is a Kazekage. You certainly do aim high. That's good though." Izuna announces and Itachi felt a bit like a stallion at a horse show, being sized up by a judge.

Itachi looks at the King and Queen helplessly. The King gives him a hand gesture, that Itachi figured was a universal sign for just go with it. The two beings in front of him were clearly ancient. Despite a certain stiffness to their steps that Itachi assumed was attributed to arthritis, there was a deadly grace to them as well. He could only imagine what they had been like in their prime.

The older human Uchiha brother wonders if they knew about Sasuke. They certainly knew about him. That's when Sasuke and Naruto walked down the hall.

You could have heard a pin drop. Izuna and Sasuke's eyes locked. Both looked rather stunned at seeing their "twin." Naruto's wings wrap around Sasuke protectively.

"A-re they Madara and Izuna?" Sasuke whispers to Naruto.

"Yeah. I think so. Just stay close to me. We don't know what they want." The blonde replies and Sasuke nods.

Izuna raises an eyebrow. It seemed that both of his "grandsons" had found their Mates. The Kazekage and Prince had both wrapped their wings around his descendants so protectively. Clearly, both bonds were mutual.

Madara was having similar thoughts. Well you had to give the humans this much. They certainly did aim high. A Prince and a Kage?! That and it was unnerving to see Sasuke. It was like looking a thousand years back in the past.

"It's incredible really. Prince, you can release my grandchild. I have no intention of hurting him." He states as he walks over, without further ado.

Madara was still "inspecting" Itachi. The engineer got the impression that the elder man was trying to be friendly, but wasn't completely in his right mind. He was coherent and didn't look crazed. But something was off.

"Maybe, he should decide that for himself. If he wants me to release him, I will." Naruto says.

"Your instincts are to protect him. That's good. But he doesn't need your protection in this instance and I do hope you aren't suicidal enough to challenge me. I've forgotten more about fighting than you will ever know." Izuna says.

Sasuke looks between his ancestor and Naruto horrified. He wasn't entirely sure if a fight was going to break out or not. Izuna looked very elderly. But Sasuke had a difficult time imagining the man was ready for a nursing home just yet. He might be able to make good on his not so subtle threat.

"Naruto, it's okay. I think." Sasuke says as he places a quick kiss on Naruto's mouth to reassure him.

Naruto returns it. He still didn't like it. Izuna and Madara were legendary warriors. They shouldn't be underestimated.

How they were in such pristine condition, considering their advanced age was a mystery to him. True, their movements were stiff. But most of their kind would be relying on canes by that age or in wheelchairs. They were walking on their own, without any support.

"What should I call you?" Sasuke asks Izuna.

"Izuna or grandfather would be best for simplicity's sake." The warrior replies.

Sasuke nods. He still didn't like the implied threat. Sasuke wanted to pawn it off to mostly posturing and maybe it was, but still. He felt the urge to "protect" Naruto either way.

"Well _grandfather,_ I'm Sasuke. Naruto's my Mate. That's my brother Itachi over there. That red head is Gaara. He's Itachi's Mate. As long as you don't threaten any of them, I'd be happy to have a family reunion." Sasuke states.

"And if I was to do so?" Izuna asks in amusement.

"I WILL end you." Sasuke says and his eyes flash the ruby red of the Sharingan.

He didn't realize he was doing it. Still Sasuke felt different. His vision was suddenly much stronger. He felt…hotter somehow. The Uchiha looks down at his hands and realizes they were on fucking fire. That would be why.

"I think I'm going to like you." Izuna smirks.

He never would have expected the Sharingan to still be a possibility with so many generations separating them. Izuna blinks. He definitely hadn't expected humans to have a functional chakra network. But the fire in his hands, proved that apparently they did.

Maybe Sasuke's had simply been reactivated by the desire to protect his Mate. If that was the case, it was indeed a very strong bond. He felt himself smiling. The gesture felt almost foreign on his face now.

Madara watches curiously. So the younger brother could activate the Sharingan. He wondered if Itachi was able to do so as well. He glances back at his "nephew" and notes his eyes were shining crimson red.

Well that answered that question. Sasuke's Sharingan had been activated by the desire to protect his Mate. Itachi's by the desire to protect his brother. He could certainly relate. That was how his own Sharingan had originally activated, so many years ago.

"Well it seems our bloodline is still strong after a thousand years and many Matings with humans diluting our genes. Impressive. It seems your seed was rather potent, little brother. That you must have claimed your Mate in an extremely enthusiastic fashion." Madara teases him.

"Madara, is now really the time to be making sexual innuendos?" Izuna snaps at him.

"Oh foolish little brother, it is ALWAYS the time to be making sexual innuendos." Madara says with a smile.

Izuna shakes his head in amusement. Well it seemed his brother was feeling better. He didn't know how long this recovery would last, but he was happy to see Madara in high spirits for once.

Maybe this is what he truly needed. Perhaps being back with their own kind would finally heal his battered mind and soul? Izuna could only hope. He had been rather lonely for these many centuries, while Madara had mourned his broken Mating Bond. Perhaps his brother was finally returning to him.


	16. One Step Further

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Uchihas enjoy some family bonding time as Gaara and Itachi decide to take their relationship to the next level.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

"Be at peace, descendant. Neither I, nor Madara, have any intention of attacking your Mates. How would it benefit us to attack Prince Naruto and the Kazekage? They have done us no wrong? That would only ensure our demise. As confident as I am in our abilities, I doubt that we would emerge victorious, if our entire race launched a manhunt against us in our current states." Izuna asks reasonably.

Sasuke pauses. Well that was a good argument. It would be pretty stupid for them to attack a Prince and Kazekage over nothing. Hell, actually it would be borderline suicidal. Maybe they were all going to get out of this alive, after all.

Was it possible after being missing for a thousand years, that the two elder Uchiha brothers just desired more familial bonds? Neither of them looked like they were in any condition to pick a fight on Konoha by attacking two important public figures. Sasuke couldn't shake the feeling that despite their ancient appearance, both men were still very deadly. He was reminded of the old saying to never judge a book by its cover.

"Well I can't argue with that logic." Sasuke concedes.

"Ah good. This calls for some Ramensa. Do they still make it?" Madara muses.

Itachi wonders what the Hell Ramensa was. He looks at Gaara curiously. The red head whispers to him that it was a type of wine made on Konoha.

"Yeah. They still make it. It's awesome!" Naruto says happily.

Sasuke rubs the back of his head sheepishly. He couldn't believe how easily distracted his Mate was. Here were two powerful warriors who had been missing for a thousand years, standing right in front of him. But Naruto was talking about Ramensa with Madara like this was all perfectly normal.

"Good. Will you be joining us, Your Majesties?" Izuna asks the King and Queen.

Naruto's parents look at him uncertainly. Neither was sure if he wanted them to do so or if it was safe to leave their only hatchling with the elder set of Uchiha brothers. The younger blonde nods at them reassuringly.

"No, we shall have to announce your arrival. We don't want a panic to start. People are likely going to think that they saw your ghosts." Minato explains.

"Ah yes, of course. We didn't mean to frighten anyone or any inconvenience. Madara and I were just excited to meet our descendants. We sincerely apologize if our sudden arrival made things unexpectedly difficult for you and your family." Izuna continues.

"No, it's quite alright. This is a most happy occasion. Perhaps you would like to continue your reunion with your family and their Mates in the Royal Library? We can send some Ramensa there shortly." Kushina suggests.

The elder Uchiha brothers nod at her suggestion. They begin walking towards the library. It was apparently mandatory that Sasuke and Itachi follow. The mostly human Uchihas and their Mates quickly follow suit.

Once they arrive, they all sit at a large table. Naruto pulls Sasuke into his lap. Itachi gets the same treatment from the Kazekage.

The brothers didn't miss the significance of this. The younger Jinchuuriki were obviously attempting to make a statement. Itachi and Sasuke were their Mates and there were going to be issues, if the elder Uchihas attacked them.

"So how long have you all been Mated?" Madara asks, making conversation.

"We found each other recently. It's a very long story." Sasuke says as he settles into Naruto's arms.

Izuna and Madara's lips both twitch upwards in amusement. The elder aliens saw the displays for what they were. A warning.

To them, it was almost _cute._ Gaara and Naruto wanted to protect their Mates. (Not that the elder Uchiha brothers thought the younger aliens would actually stand a chance against them, but it was the thought that counted.)

"I would say that we have time, but at our age that would be something of a lie." Madara admits.

"True enough. I suppose the fact that we found each other, is more important than how." Gaara says.

Itachi gently strokes his Mate's wings. He wanted to offer the Kazekage some sort of reassurance. This was the easiest way he could think to do that.

"True. Treasure your time together. We know what it is like to lose a Mate. I must warn you that Madara has been having a good week. I have not seen him so himself in a long time, but that is usually not the case. We don't know how long this improvement will last." Izuna says softly.

Sasuke blinks. Izuna had more or less just said that MOST of the time, Madara was crazy. Madara was mostly crazy and Izuna had still brought him back to Konoha?!

"My Mating Bond was forcibly broken. I didn't react well. I was fortunate to have Izuna to care for me. I will always miss him, but I think having descendants was helpful. Izuna and I are old. We are in our twilight years. I thought that we would just fade off into history together, alone. It's comforting to know that our bloodline will continue." Madara states bluntly.

Itachi tries to process this. He could see the concern in Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke shared his same anxiety. They were dealing with a very ancient and powerful Jinchuuriki, who apparently wasn't in control of all of his marbles. Yet, he was claiming that having more family had snapped him out of his insanity. (Though neither of the elder Uchihas knew how long this shred of sanity that Madara had found, would last.)

"Here is your wine." A female staff member says as she carries a tray with wine bottles over to them.

Sasuke watches her curiously. She was a strange combination of giddy and terrified. He supposed this was about what he should expect whenever anyone saw his ancestors though.

"Thank you." Sasuke says as he takes the tray and offers her a small smile.

"Y-You're welcome. Please let me know if there is anything else that I can do for you all." She stammers, curtsies, and darts off.

Izuna and Madara chuckle. It was obvious that they knew what sort of impact they were having on their fellow Jinchuuriki and it amused them. Sasuke and Itachi were both getting the impression that their ancestors liked to _"fuck with,"_ people.

"We shall be sure to do so." Izuna says as the woman scurries off completely.

"Where have you guys been? I mean you both just disappeared after…everything." Naruto dares himself to ask.

He had always wondered. Naruto knew that he was far from the only Jinchuuriki to do so. Every hatchling spent at least some time speculating on what had become of the two famous brothers.

"Originally, Izuna took us to Earth. There he cared for me and found his Mate. She was human though. After her death in childbirth, Izuna's torment mirrored my own. I suppose humans would say that he gave the child up for adoption. He cloaked her and we left. We ended up on a planet in a distant galaxy. He's been looking after me every since." Madara explains.

Sasuke notes that Izuna flinched when his dead Mate was mentioned. The poor guy. Still it looked like Izuna had retained some flicker of sanity after his loss, that his brother hadn't. Maybe Izuna had clung to his own sanity because he felt he had to take care of his grieving brother.

"We are all deeply sorry for your losses." Itachi says and the elder Uchihas nod their heads in acknowledgement.

"It does fascinate me that you are able to use chakra and activate your Sharingan. Training you will prove to be quite the interesting endeavor." Izuna muses as he looks at Sasuke.

Sasuke looks at Naruto helplessly. He wasn't sure what Izuna meant by training. Naruto also looked a little less than thrilled.

"Izuna, um I'm glad you want to bond with your descendants and everything, but they are human. We just made them look like Jinchuuriki. I'm not really sure they could handle whatever training you had in mind." Naruto says in a rush.

"Are you able to activate your Sharingan as well?" Madara asks Itachi curiously and he nods.

"Excellent! A most fruitful Mating, indeed!" The eldest Uchiha observes happily.

Sasuke and Itachi couldn't completely suppress their nerves at the moment. Naruto was worried enough about Izuna's training, that he felt the need to remind the elderly Uchiha that Sasuke and Itachi were human. That meant it was likely to be very intensive training.

"Do you take me for an oblivious Hatchling? I know they are mostly human. I took a human for my Mate. They are not completely human though. There is still Jinchuuriki blood in their veins. If there wasn't, they wouldn't be able to activate the Sharingan. It would be debatable, if they would be able to use Chakra. The Sharingan though is a trait that can only be manifested by Uchiha Jinchuuriki or someone who has had it transplanted." Izuna counters.

"Of course not! I don't take you for an oblivious Hatchling. It's just I don't want you to get too rough on them. They are still really new to all of this." Naruto protests.

Madara glances at Itachi. Hmm yes, that was true. They would just have to start with something minor. Sasuke was already able to create fire, surely Itachi would be able to do the same. Every Uchiha child was taught how to make fireballs. It was only proper.

"The Prince is right, brother. We shall simply start small and work our way up. I suggest fireballs." Madara observes as if this was all perfectly normal.

The eldest Uchiha seemed to think that it was. You would have thought that he was discussing how to teach a toddler how to walk and not how to create fire. Izuna nods his head in agreement. It appeared he also shared Madara's views on what "proper parenting" included.

"Perhaps it would be best to start off simpler. Flying lessons?" Gaara suggests.

"Well yes, obviously we are going to include flying lessons as well. Good thinking though." Izuna muses.

The six men drink their Ramensa as the strange conversation continues. Sasuke notes that it was actually really good wine. He could see what Naruto was always going on about now.

* * *

A few hours later, the group split into groups. Izuna, Sasuke, and Naruto left to train out in the fields. Madara, Itachi, and Gaara went to one of the training rooms. Naruto watches as Izuna takes to the air and demonstrates the "proper way" to fly.

The blonde was amazed that Izuna could still fly. Most Jinchuuriki's wings either became too weak to support them around their 800's or they just thought it was too painful to fly, if they didn't have to. This was apparently not the case with Izuna.

"It's unfortunate that you don't have natural wings, but the artificial wings do have some advantage. You'll never have to worry about your feathers becoming brittle." He muses.

"Um yeah. That's good." Sasuke agrees as he takes to the air with his ancestor.

It was a tragically beautiful in a way, Naruto supposed. The once proud warrior was still the epitome of grace, but the prince could see the truth. Izuna would never be as fast as he once was and flying was a painful experience for him. He likened it to humans walking with arthritis. They could do it, but it wasn't much fun.

"Unfortunately, mechanical wings just aren't as flexible as the real thing. You'll have to outthink your opponent to compensate, if you face off against at truly skilled flier." The elder Uchiha continues.

"Good to know." Sasuke says.

He didn't have the heart to tell Izuna that he wasn't planning on marching off (err flying off) into battle anytime soon. The elderly Jinchuuriki was acting like a parent who was proudly trying to teach their child how to swim. It apparently meant a great deal to him to pass on his combat knowledge. So Sasuke decides to humor him.

"Have you been class tested yet? I believe the tests should work on any species." He asks.

"Yeah. He was tested. Sasuke is 55% warrior and 45% scholar." Naruto replies automatically, without thinking about it.

"That's rather well balanced. Our Clan was famous for producing warrior classes. Though it's good that you have so much scholar in you. It's not necessarily a good thing to be all brawn and no brains." The older Uchiha observes.

"Yeah. I guess so. I really should talk Itachi into getting tested, if he hasn't been already. What did you and Madara get?" Sasuke asks out of curiosity.

He was a little curious. The doctor had said 70% and over was considered a really strong preference. What was normal for an Uchiha though? For that matter, what role did genetics play in classes anyway?

"I got 51% warrior and 49% scholar. Madara is well Madara. He got 90% warrior and 10% ruling class." He notes with a chuckle.

"I can see why the history books listed you as the mellow brother then." Sasuke muses.

Izuna raises an eyebrow at this. Well he supposed he couldn't argue with the label. It was difficult not to be more mellow than Madara. The man was in a league of his own.

"And what else did the history books say about us?" He asks.

"You founded the Royal Library and the Allied Forces. Madara was an ambassador to aggressive species, designed a shield that could cover the entire planet, created some kind of cannon, and then you both just disappeared." Sasuke says.

He nods. Well he was pleased that the history books were at least accurate. That was something at least. When he was finally allowed to pass on into the next life, his legacy would still be intact.

"Yeah. You two are kinda living legends." Naruto says and Izuna smirks.

"Good to know." He says as they continue the training.

* * *

After several hours, Izuna pronounces that Sasuke's flying technique had improved drastically. He also they would make further improvements tomorrow. Sasuke shakes his head in amusement and heads off with Naruto.

Well maybe limps off would have been more accurate. He had never been so stiff in his entire life. Once they get back to their room, Sasuke immediately takes off his wings, talons, and talon. He rolls his shoulders trying to get out the stiffness.

"Yeah, I told him that he should have gone easier on you. You aren't used to flying that long. Come on, let me take care of that for you." Naruto says.

"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke asks a little warily.

"Give you a nice back and shoulder rub. It'll help." The blonde says cheerfully and Sasuke nods.

He liked the sound of that. Sasuke lays down on the bed. His back was now towards Naruto. It didn't take long for his Mate to get onto the bed and start rubbing his back and shoulders.

"Mmm that feels so good. A little lower." He murmurs and sighs in contentment at the sensual massage.

"Well I guess the reunion went about as well as can be expected. You feeling okay? I mean it's got to be a shock to meet your thousand year old ancestors." The prince asks as he rubs Sasuke's shoulders.

Sasuke considers the question. It was all so surreal really. Sasuke decides he was okay though. At the moment he was getting a nice massage from his very hot boyfriend. His ancestors seemed friendly. (Even if they were slightly insane.) So he decides there wasn't anything to worry about in the immediate future.

"Yeah. I guess I'm okay. I wonder how Itachi is taking all this." He muses.

"Good question. Who knows what Madara had him do? Izuna took it easy on you by his standards, his older brother is even more crazy than he is." The blue eyed alien observes.

Sasuke nods and rolls around. He kisses Naruto. The youngest Uchiha was feeling a little clingy at the moment. Sasuke had seen what a broken bond could do to someone now.

He didn't think that it would impact him as much as it had Madara and Izuna. But Sasuke still wasn't eager to test that out. So yeah, he wanted to be close to Naruto. Really, really close.

"Mmm." Naruto moans into the kiss, happily returning it.

* * *

"You did well. Your flying form is excellent, especially for a beginner." Madara observes in the training room.

"Thank you." Itachi manages to say and leans into Gaara.

He was completely exhausted. Itachi had no idea how someone of Madara's age was able to do all that. He got the impression his ancestor was showing off a bit, but still.

"I think that my Mate would like to rest. He's too proud to say so though." Gaara observes and Madara nods.

"Yes, that is a good idea. The hour is late. We shall begin again tomorrow when the Sun rises." The elder Uchiha states happily.

Itachi barely managed to suppress a groan. He knew that Madara was trying to help him, in his own demented way. But that didn't make training any less exhausting. Itachi considered himself to be a man who was in good shape, warrior was just insane with his training regimes.

"Good night, Madara." Gaara says as he guides his lover back to their room and removes Itachi's artificial wings.

"I can't believe that man is over a thousand years old. Someone has to be pulling an elaborate hoax. There is no way that someone that age could be so…vigorous." Itachi mutters.

Gaara chuckles. It was Madara and Izuna Uchiha. Enough said really. The red head doubted that even the effects of aging would slow them down for long.

"Your ancestors are legends for a reason. You look exhausted, my love. You should get some rest." The Kazekage says.

"I suppose you are right. Lay with me? After seeing what they went through, I just don't want to sleep alone." Itachi admits.

Gaara smiles. He happily curls up right next to Itachi. The Kage was certain that it wouldn't be long now before they became true Mates in every sense of the word.

"Always. You have only to ask." Gaara replies and Itachi smiles.

He had always hoped that he would find love one day. Itachi just hadn't expected it would be with an alien. An alien who seemed to be their planet's version of a Governor or something.

"Good." He says and glides his hands underneath Gaara's shirt.

He liked the way the other man's muscles felt underneath his fingertips. The red head was definitely a member of the ruling class, but the warrior class aspects were still strongly present. This was mostly in the form of his rock hard abs. Itachi had always been such a sucker for a nice set of abs.

"That feels good." Gaara confesses and makes a quiet sound that resembled that of a house cat's purr.

Itachi found that to be rather endearing. The Kazekage could be so cute without meaning to sometimes. He leans over and kisses him.

Gaara happily kisses back. His Mate was being very affectionate tonight. He did regret not taking Itachi's offer while he was under the influence of his blood. Still he did hope that Itachi would offer again and soon. (It was really just not as much fun taking care of your own needs, as being with your Mate.)

"Good. I'm glad. I'm sorry, Gaara. I know that you have been struggling with our lack of…consummation. To be fair though, I did offer earlier. But I understand why you didn't accept it. It wouldn't have been right. It's different now. The blood is out of my system." Itachi says.

"Well talking about blood right before a Mating has to be the strangest form of flirtation that I have ever heard. It has been difficult. I won't lie. I want you. I want to be with you in the way that Mates are supposed to be with each other. But I understand that you are human. You just need some time to get used to the idea and I am perfectly fi-' The red head begins to answer Itachi, but is cut off by the other man's kiss.

Itachi smiles into the kiss as he feels the other man return it. Gaara was sweet. A romantic and so patient. He was also really fucking adorable when he started to babble.

"Gaara, I love you. I do want to be with you." Itachi says as breaks the kiss.

"Are you saying that you want me to Mark you?" Gaara asks cautiously.

He didn't want to get his hopes up. It sounded like Itachi wanted to become official Mates. But he didn't want to have his hopes dashed, if he assumed too much.

"That is exactly, what I am saying." Itachi says with a smile and caresses Gaara's cheek.

Gaara beams. He takes something out of his pocket. It a long golden chain of some kind, with a ring attached to it. The ring was silver and had a large red gem on it. It was apparently a necklace.

"This is for you. Humans have wedding rings. Our kind also exchange jewelry during a Mating. I hope you like it." Gaara says.

"It's beautiful. Gaara, have you been carrying that around with you this whole time?" Itachi asks.

Gaara nods. It never hurt to be prepared. He had been hopeful that eventually Itachi would say yes. He had. So the red head felt completely justified in carrying around his Mating Symbol.

"Yes. To claim each other, I bite your neck and leave my Mark. This will flood your system with a chemical that will sharpen your teeth long enough to do likewise. Then the bond is completely forged." He states.

Itachi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. That sounded a little like vampires to him. While he normally wasn't into the whole biting thing, it sounded important to Gaara. He nods his head in consent.

"It might hurt slightly at first, but then the flood of endorphins will make it feel really good." Gaara promises him as he sinks his teeth into Itachi's neck, biting down hard enough to leave his Mark.

Itachi gasps as he feels the fangs pierce his skin. Gaara hadn't been lying. It was a complete rush, similar to that of an orgasm. He felt his teeth lengthen and quickly bites Gaara on the neck as well.

Gaara smiles and pins Itachi to the bed. He licks the Mating Mark affectionately, causing the Uchiha to moan. That felt incredibly good.

I promise that you won't regret becoming my Mate. Allow me to take care of that for you." The red head purrs seductively at him as he glances down at the impressive bulge forming in Itachi's pants.

Itachi hadn't been promiscuous on Earth, but he hadn't been a blushing virgin either. He had had lovers before. None of them had ever looked at them with the intensity that the Kage was.

He felt himself shiver. It was at that moment he knew he was about to do something that no human had done in almost a thousand years. He was about to make love with a Jinchuuriki.


	17. Love and the Amaterasu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madara and Izuna stretch their wings as the couples get closer. In the midst of all this, Aoda and Manda face off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. As promised, the lemonade is coming. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: The elder Uchiha brothers get into some mischief. Aoda is Sasuke's snake Summon in the show. Manda was Orochimaru's snake Summon. Aoda may or may not be IC. Still I hope everyone enjoys having the Serpentes brought into the story more.

 "So tell me brother, what do you think of them?" Madara asks once they were alone.

The King and Queen had been nice enough to give them a massive bedchamber with two beds in it. Madara and Izuna were as close as brothers could be, but neither wanted to share a bed.

Though bedchamber might be an understatement. This room was bigger than their entire cave on planet Chidori. So they were rather pleased with their living arrangements to put it mildly.

"I think Sasuke is rather feisty and Itachi appears level headed. I'm very glad they found their Mates though. They're both fortunate in that respect." Izuna says with a smile.

"Yes, that was my assessment as well. I'm surprised neither has been claimed yet." Madara muses.

He couldn't help but remember when he had first met Hashirama. Their species had gotten off on the wrong talon, to put it mildly. So they had faced each other in battle. Slowly bloodlust had changed to regular lust and somehow they had ended up Mated by the end of it.

Madara chuckles as he remembers the reactions of everyone when they heard the news. The sword of Konoha had fallen for one of his opponents. It had been quite the scandal at the time.

Even now, after everything, he couldn't regret having loved that man. Madara knew that he would end up loving Hashirama until the day he died and he hoped to find him again in the next life. Idly, he muses that his former Mate would likely scold him for spending most of his life in mourning. He would want the warrior to be happy. Perhaps it was time to seek out companionship.

"Not everyone is like you and Mates the person they were fighting in the middle of a battle." Izuna muses.

"That's right. You Mated a human. You should probably speak to our descendants' Mates. I imagine one has to be gentler when claiming a human. Your counsel could prove quite useful on this matter." Madara taunts him.

"I Mated a human FEMALE. I think that's a little different than what Gaara and Naruto have in mind. The anatomy isn't really the same. I doubt any of my advice would be relevant." Izuna muses and his tail flicks slightly in annoyance at his brother's gentle ribbing.

Madara shrugs. His Mate had been a male, but he appreciated the male and female form. To him, both were beautiful in different ways. As long as his lover was well sculpted, he cared not if they had perky breasts or a large "tail." The important thing was that the parts that were there, were attractive.

"Trust me, when I say some things are universal. Though there are some differences when pleasing a man vs. a woman." Madara muses.

"Wonderful. Just what I needed, sex advice from my mostly insane older brother. For fucksake Madara, we are over a thousand years old." Izuna states.

"So…everything still works. Nothing wrong with admiring some pretty or handsome feathers." He shrugs.

Izuna smacks his forehead. Why him? Why by the Gods and Goddesses did he have to have a major pervert for a brother? Still he supposed this was a good sign. If Madara was talking so blatantly about sexual preferences, he must be feeling better.

"At this age, I doubt you could get your tail up. So it doesn't really matter. I'm certain that our descendants would really appreciate your sex advice though. By all means, do try it. I could use the laugh." Izuna smirks.

"Nah. Youth is wasted on the young. I am going to have some fun with you, before I go insane again though." Madara quickly pens a note and sticks it on the door before dragging Izuna off.

Izuna flails. He looks back to read what the note said. He gulps when he saw what it said.

**Going to see if the Amaterasu is still open. Will be back later. Don't worry. - Madara and Izuna.**

Izuna just gapes at his older brother. He couldn't possibly be serious. The Amatersau used to be THE place to be when they were Hatchlings. It was famous for it's strong alcohol, good music, and most importantly for it's gorgeous exotic dancers. When they had come of age, if you wanted to find some companionship for the evening, that is where you went.

"There's no way that place is still open." Izuna says.

"Looks like some things never go out of style." Madara smiles smugly, when they came upon a massive building that a sign on it. The sign said **AMATERSAU** in big flashing, neon lights.

Izuna blinks. Well that was impressive. He guessed some things really didn't change as his brother drags him inside.

The bartender blinks. He recognized Izuna and Madara from the history books. No way. He had heard the rumors, but he didn't think they were actually true. They were alive and back on Konoha.

"Welcome back! D-Drinks are on the house." He stammers out in awe.

"Thank you." Madara laughs as he sits on one of the couches.

"No, that's quite alright. We can afford it. You don't need to go to any trouble no our account." Izuna protests.

"Are you kidding? You two are heroes. It's the least we can do." The bartender insists.

Izuna sighs. He nods. Well he didn't really like to take advantage of people, but the bartender was offering. Besides, who didn't like free alcohol?

He sits down next to Madara and blinks when some young female Jinchuuriki saunter over to them. He estimates they were all in their 200's, 300s tops. On one hand, he knew that it was wrong to be admiring the charms of females who were young enough to be his descendants. On the other hand, well they were the ones who were displaying said charms so freely.

"The females in this era, wear a lot less clothing than they used to." Izuna observes with no small amount of delight.

"Yeah. You noticed that too, huh? Isn't it great?" Madara asks and looks around like a Hatchling in a candy store.

Madara apparently didn't have that ethical dilemma. He was quite happy when one sat in his lap and proceeds to flirt rather outrageously with him. Izuna wonders if the female actually wanted Madara to mount her or if she just wanted to tell her friends that she had caught the eye of the mighty Madara?

Hell he wondered if Madara COULD mount her at his age. Did their equipment even work anymore? Then he makes a disgusted face. He didn't really want to spend too much time pondering the state of his brother's "tail."

"Your feathers are in amazing condition. Most 700 year olds would kill to have feathers like this." A female says to Izuna and brazenly sits in his lap.

"Oh um thank you. That's very kind of you to say." Izuna replies.

Yeah. She was way too young for him. Still there really wasn't anything wrong with admiring the view, was there? She did have some rather glorious cleavage that was barely covered by that green halter top.

He supposed it was a bit of a relief to find out that he could still apparently please a female if he wanted to. He felt his lower half responding to the lovely sight of the female in his lap. Yeah, he'd just look. That way he wouldn't be considered a complete deviant. Maybe only half of a deviant?

* * *

Meanwhile back with Itachi and Gaara, Itachi swallows hard. He almost felt like he was a virgin again. He supposed he was in a way. He'd definitely never done it with an alien before.

"There's no need to be anxious. We're Mates now. We can start off slow. Just let me know what you like and what you don't." Gaara whispers to him and caresses his cheek tenderly.

Itachi nods. He smiles. The Kazekage was so sweet. So gentle and comforting. He knew that the red head had been fighting his instincts to Claim him for awhile. But he still held back to reassure him.

**Warning Lemon**

"You're beautiful. Jinchuuriki are going to flock to Earth once they realize how beautiful some members of your species are." Gaara muses as he kisses Itachi and uses his talons to shred the other man's clothes.

Itachi kisses back. He wraps his hands around he other man's neck. The engineer shivers when he hears his clothing being torn off by the wicked sharp talons of his lover. He was reminded once more that despite how human Gaara might act and mostly look, he was anything but.

"Mmm well I like kissing." Itachi murmurs after breaking the kiss and smiles.

"That's good." Gaara replies, returning Itachi's smile with one of his own.

The Uchiha quickly tugs off Gaara's robes. The red head might only be 30% warrior, but his body looked more like 100%. Were all Jinchuuriki this fit, he wonders to himself.

Gaara places a trail of kisses along his soon to be lover's neck and glides his hands over the muscular planes of Itachi's naked chest. His Mate was stunning. His body was a work of art. Idly, he muses that he should try to paint Itachi one day.

Itachi sighs in contentment. That felt nice. Gaara's touch was gentle and almost reverent. The Uchiha runs his fingers through Gaara's crimson red locks and slowly slides his hands down the other man's back. The muscles he felt underneath his fingertips told him that the Kazekage was indeed every inch a predator.

"That feels nice." Gaara purrs lowly with approval licks at the Mating Mark, smirking when he hears Itachi moan at the affection gesture.

"Good." Itachi says and shyly reaches down to stroke the Kage's impressive erection.

Gaara growls in pleasure and his eyes darken in desire. That felt _incredible._ Finally, he was with his Mate in the way that nature had intended. He felt his body practically hum with desire as he bucks into his Mate's talented hand.

"Keep doing that." He commands and brushes his lips over the Itachi's abs while caressing his hands over the other man's nipples.

Itachi pants and arches into his lover. It was amazing how Gaara could get him more aroused from fairly tame touches than most of his previous lovers had aroused him when he was actually inside them. Maybe there really was something to this Mating thing after all.

"Alright. You seem to really like it when I play with your cock." Itachi notes with a smirk.

"I don't think there is a male alive who could resist a touch as talented as yours." Gaara whispers and bites down lightly on a nipple in retaliation.

Feeling bolder, he fluffs Itachi's erection with his silky wings. Itachi throws his head back in pleasure and moans. Fuck that felt good. He bucks against the sensual feathers and felt his body pulse with body. It was like electricity was flowing though his veins.

"So sensitive. I wonder if you taste as sweet as you sound." Gaara muses as he moves down lower and takes Itachi into his mouth.

Itachi almost screams with pleasure. Nothing had prepared him for Gaara's hot, wet mouth wrapped around his cock and sucking him off like that. He squirms wildly. The engineer couldn't believe how effortlessly Gaara was able to deep throat him.

Gaara smirks. It was nice to see his Mate like this. Writhing in pleasure and on the brink of orgasm. Feeling rather determined to please Itachi, he sucks faster and harder. The red head grazes his teeth lightly against the sensitive flesh, causing Itachi to moan wantonly.

"FUCK! GAARA!" Itachi growls as he came hard.

The red head licked him clean and leans up. He captures his Mate's lips in a heated kiss and moans into it. Itachi was still teasing Gaara with his hand. It felt so good that Gaara was worried he might spill his seed on his Mate's hand, instead of inside him.

"I assume that you greatly enjoyed that part." Gaara says with a cocky smile.

"I assume that if you don't start preparing me in the next five seconds, you would prefer me to be the one to bend you over the side of the bed instead." Itachi warns him.

Gaara shivers. He determines he likes this aggressive side of his Mate. Sometimes it was hard to believe that the mellow human was descended from Izuna and Madara. He pushes Itachi onto his hands and knees.

"Good assumption." He whispers hotly into his ears and sucks on his fingers harshly for a minute or two, coating them with saliva.

Itachi blushes slightly at the position. It felt rather vulnerable. Though it was obvious Gaara didn't intend to hurt him. He squirms when he felt the red head slide a single digit inside him.

"You're so tight. You haven't been the submissive in many of your past relationships. That or perhaps all humans are just naturally this tight." Gaara muses as he pumps the finger inside Itachi, searching for his Mate's spot.

He had to have one right? The Kazekage wasn't entirely certain if he did or not. He assumes humans had spots, like they did. After all, if Mating wasn't pleasurable, that would mean reproduction wasn't. That would jeopardize the continuance of the human species as a whole.

Itachi moans and arches against Gaara. Gaara smirks. Alright, that was a yes. Humans DID have a spot. He adds another digit and moves his fingers faster, wanting to prepare his lover as quickly as possible. He was too aroused to handle much more foreplay.

"Gaara!" Itachi cries out when the man continues hitting his spot.

Gaara smiles, deciding his Mate was ready. He slowly buries himself inside his tight lover and groans. Ah this was pure bliss. He'd always hard other members of his kind go on and on about how wonderful it was to be with their Mates, but he never thought he'd experience it for himself. He could see what everyone was talking about now.

He slams into his lover. He reveled in every moan that Itachi made. He loved how beautiful his Mate looked underneath him. His sight. How tight he was. His Mate was perfection personified to him.

"Fuck yes!" Itachi howls in pleasure and writhes underneath Gaara.

The red head pumps his lover in his hand and moves faster. He could tell by his lover's frantic movements, that he was just as close as he was. He slams faster and harder into his Mate, making the bed shake with the force of their lovemaking. His wings stretched out, protectively over them.

"Fuck! Gaara, I'm going to cum." Itachi moans when the red head slammed into him with one final thrust, sending them both spiraling over the edge.

They both came hard at the same time. Gaara slides out of his lover. The red head protectively wraps his wings around the Uchiha and holds him in a tight embrace.

**End of Lemon**

"We should have done that sooner." Itachi observes as he desperately tries to catch his breath.

"Yes, I agree. Well I'm certain that we will make up for lost time shortly." Gaara replies and kisses his Mate's cheek.

Itachi could only nod in agreement. He'd always _liked_ sex. But it had never been that _amazing_ before. Yeah, there was definitely something to this Mating thing.

* * *

Elsewhere with Naruto and Sasuke, Sasuke breaks the kiss and smiles at his blonde. Yes, his blonde. He had given up even trying to fight whatever pull he felt towards the alien prince.

That didn't mean that he was ready to start having Hatchlings right this second though. But he did want Naruto. There was no point in even trying to deny that anymore. Still he wasn't really sure how to convey that or what would happen once they Mated.

"You alright? You look pretty serious all of a sudden." Naruto observes.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking. It's all still so surreal. I'm on an alien planet and my boyfriend is an alien prince. Now my thousand year old ancestors are back. Oh and my brother is dating an alien…Governor or something like that. It's a lot to take in." Sasuke says.

The blue eyed Jinchuuriki nods. It really was amazing how well Sasuke was handling everything, especially if you put it like that. He wraps his wings around his Mate protectively.

"I know that you are going through a lot right now. But I am here for you. I want to be a good Mate to you." He says and kisses Sasuke's cheek.

"You are. You're the best Mate." Sasue murmurs and rests his head on Naruto's shoulder.

He wanted to tell Naruto that he wanted to go further than fluffing and tasting. Sasuke wanted to be with him. The youngest Uchiha just didn't really know how. He also wasn't exactly sure what, if any differences there were between Jinchuuriki and human sex. So that was a little stressful.

"You really mean that?" Naruto asks.

"Yeah. I do. I'm sorry about all this. I know it must be driving you crazy that we aren't…official yet." Sasuke whispers.

"It's alright. You didn't even know there were other species before I showed up. It's only natural it will take you a little while to get used to the idea. But I do love you. I don't want us to end up like Harshirama and Madara." Naruto confesses.

Sasuke sighs. He caresses Naruto's cheek. He didn't want that to happen either. He could only imagine the pain someone must have felt to lose their mind over a broken bond for a thousand fucking years.

"I don't either. We won't let that happen. If it comes between choosing you or going home, I'd rather stay here. I mean, I do miss it sometimes. But there is a lot of really cool stuff here. Everyone's been pretty friendly." Sauske says and umpfs when Naruto tackle hugs him to the bed.

"You aren't going back to Earth?" The alien prince asks and his tail wags like a happy dog.

"I don't know. I might. I mean I was planning to…at least to visit. But there really isn't anything keeping me there. Itachi is here. He was pretty much the only friend I had. We kept to ourselves after our family died." Sasuke admits.

Naruto sighs. He looks down at his Mate with sympathy. It was sad to hear that he had so few strong ties to his former home. But he'd be happier here. Naruto was sure of it.

"I'm sure you will make lots of friends here. I'm really sorry about the rest of your family." He whispers.

"Thanks." Sasuke says with a small smile, knowing that Naruto meant it and wasn't just pitying him.

* * *

Meanwhile on planet Ophidia, Aoda gapes at Manda. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Had the other Serpente lost his mind?! This was sheer madness.

"You want to attack the BufoBufoians? They are part of the Allied Forces. If we attack them, their allies will join as one and utterly destroy us. You know that. What has gotten into you? Have you completely taken all leave of your senses?" He demands.

Manda smirks. Trust Aoda to be so cautious. It was a pity that he didn't have the vision that Manda had. Aoda was one of the largest snakes on the planet. Perhaps the only one who could rival him in strength. Shame.

"They have had a falling out with the Allied Forces. I'm not sure why, but the BufoBufoians seem to believe their allies are planning to betray them. They even attacked a trading vessel. I don't think the Allied Forces will defend them. Now is the time to strike." He says.

Aoda blinks. He had no idea why the BufoBufoians would think that. He didn't like the Allied Forces. They threw their weight around too much, but he couldn't deny that the alliance had held solid for many years. Why would they suddenly attack an ally, when they never had before? It didn't make any sense.

"Why would they think that?" He asks.

"Who knows? Who cares? This is our chance to expand our lands. Aoda, I need you at my side. You are the second strongest of our kind on this planet. We will have a difficult time managing this without you." Manda hisses at him.

"I'm sorry. I can't condone this. The BufoBufoians haven't attacked us in centuries. This is an unprovoked war. It will cost us thousands of lives and when the Allied Forces find out, they will end us." Aoda says.

Manda gets into a fighting stance. It was unfortunate. He had hoped that Aoda would see reason. Oh well. It couldn't be helped. He was going to fight for their kind. If he had to kill Aoda for them to gain more territory, so be it.

The two giant serpents face off with each other. Their bodies were so enormous that the very ground beneath their scales started to shake from the force of their fighting.

* * *

 "Perfect. It has begun." Pein murmurs to himself as he watches the mighty beasts do battle.

It wasn't that he particularly cared one way or another for the BufoBufoians or the Serpentes. This was just a test drive. He happily notes that the BufoBufoians were completely under the control of the Gastropoda and the Serpentes had taken the bait.

This was excellent news. Finally, it was beginning. Soon the alliance would fall apart. Then Konoha would go back to being a completely sovereign planet. This would be better this way.

"It will be painful at first, of course." He muses.

The Allied Forces had been joined for centuries. There would be many lives lost in the upcoming battle. But he knew that it was for the best.

His Gastropoda wouldn't lie to him. The slug wanted the same things he did. He wanted freedom and peace. Unfortunately, peace and freedom always came at a price. That price was too often blood.

"DIE!" Manda hisses at Aoda as he lunges at the other reptile.

Aoda dodges the attack. His eyes narrow. He didn't like the thought of killing one of his brethren, but he would do it for the good of their species as a whole.

"Manda, stand down. I don't want to have to do this." Aoda hisses at him.

It was too late though. The serpents continue their battle to the death. Pein did feel some measure of guilt. But he knew what he was doing was for the greater good.

He heads back to his ship. He had to report this to the others. This was a very promising sign. Already things were going exactly as they had planned. It was almost too easy.

"It's done. The Serpentes might attack Sage. Two of their mightiest warriors are currently battling to decide. Even if it doesn't happen, we know now this will trigger a domino effect. The future is ours!" He says proudly.

"Excellent work." Came the voice of the slug inside his head and Pein just smiles.


	18. That Blossom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and Sasuke go to the Amaterasu as Itachi learns more about Gaara's culture and Tsunade frets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. They really do make my day. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Chapter Notation: Some Itachi x Gaara fluff. Sasuke and Naruto go to retrieve everyone's favorite pair of senior citizen Jinchuuriki. A healthy dose of laughs is also included in this chapter. Hopefully, I didn't overdo it.

"I guess we should probably go check on my ancestors." Sasuke muses the next morning.

Naruto nods. Honestly, he would have preferred to cuddle up to Sasuke some more. But he knew the biologist was right. It probably wasn't a good idea to leave two Konoha's most powerful warriors alone for long, no matter how old they are. This was especially true in Madara's case. Who knew when he would snap again?

"Yeah. Good idea." Naruto says and leads Sasuke off to his ancestors' room.

"Naruto, what's the Amaterasu?" His Mate asks in confusion once he read the note on the door.

The blonde blinks. That was weird. How did Sasuke know about the Amatersau already? He knew his Mate was assimilating pretty fast, but that was kinda ridiculous.

"Humans would call it a nightclub. I guess it wouldn't really be stretching it to call it a sex club, if you want to be honest about it. Why do you ask?" The blue eyed alien inquires.

"Because Madara and Izuna apparently went to it. They left a note." Came the response.

The young prince gapes. Damn. He hadn't expected that. Madara and Izuna were over a thousand years old and were at a sex club?! In a weird way, he was kinda impressed. He hoped that Sasuke's sex drive was as healthy as his ancestors when the human got older. Wow.

"Well the note says they'll be back. So I guess we can just wait." The blonde suggests.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Madara's got a rather fragile grip on his own sanity. We should probably go and bring some Royal Guards as backup. You do have those right? I mean you are a prince…" Sasuke asks.

Naruto would have laughed at his Mate's adorable babbling, if Sasuke didn't have a point. The eldest Uchiha was a loose cannon. There was no telling when he might go off. Someone might get hurt.

"I'll go get some guards and go get your crazy ancestors. You should stay here. I'm not really sure if you are ready for that level of…socialization with that many unfamiliar Jinchuuriki. That and if something goes wrong, I don't want you to be in the line of fire." The blonde explains.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. Naruto was a damn moron. He seriously thought that Sasuke was just going to sit around and wait for him to come back. Screw that. He was going.

"Naruto, I'm going with you. There is no way in Hell that you are leaving me behind." Sasuke says firmly.

"Sasuke, you are getting a lot better at flying. It's really awesome that you can use fire and the Sharingan, but you don't really know how you do it yet. If it comes down to a fight, you'll be relying on pure Jinchuuriki battle instincts. Instincts that you didn't even know you had a month ago!" His Mate protests.

The biologist raises an eyebrow. All of that was true. He couldn't really fault Naruto's logic, but that didn't change anything. He was going and that was final.

"You know that all really makes sense from a logical perspective and my scholar side agrees with you." The dark haired man says.

"Good! So you stay here. I'll go get the guards. We'll be back soon. Don't worry." Naruto says happily.

"I wasn't finished. My warrior side doesn't agree." Sasuke continues on and Naruto blinks.

The blonde watches Sasuke a little warily. He was happy that his Mate was learning about Jinchuuriki culture and taking it seriously. Really, he was. But he wasn't sure he liked where this was going.

"Uh huh. Alright, I'll bite. What does your warrior side say?" The blue eyed alien looks at the other man anxiously.

"My warrior side says that it loves you, but you're crazy. I'm not going to let you leave me behind. Naruto, I'm glad that you are worried about me. I worry about you too. That's why I'm not going to forgive you, if you rush off without me. Besides, they are MY ancestors. If Madara loses it again, maybe I can calm him down." Sasuke reasons.

Naruto sighs. He didn't like it, but he nods. Sasuke's warrior side was dominant by 10%. That generally wasn't a huge difference, but it was just enough to be significant. When push came to shove, he was more likely to fight than take flight.

"Alright. Promise me that you'll be careful though?" Naruto asks and Sasuke nods.

"I'll be careful. Nothing's going to happen. We'll take the guards with us and I doubt that Izuna would let Madara attack the prince, even if he snapped." His Mate tells Naruto and tries to reassure him with a heated kiss.

Naruto kisses back. It didn't take long for the blonde to shove Sasuke against the wall. He didn't like the thought of Sasuke going into battle when he was just learning how to fly and could barely use chakra.

His instincts were telling him to grab his Mate and lock him in their room. The prince didn't want Sasuke anywhere near this potentially dangerous situation. Still he knew that his almost lover would never forgive him, if he did that though. So he didn't.

"You now that wasn't fair. You are deliberately using your kiss to distract me and talk me into letting you go." Naruto whispers.

"Naruto, let's get one thing straight. You don't LET me do anything. If I want to go somewhere, I'm going there. If I want to do something, I'm doing it. Yes, I'll take your opinion into account because I love you. But I am not your love slave. Got it?" Sasuke says as he reverses their positions and pins Naruto against the wall.

Sasuke knew that it was more for show than anything. He resented it a bit, but he knew that Naruto was physically stronger than him. The biologist knew he was in damn good shape for a human. He could easily lift 200 or even 300 pounds. He could run marathons. He was even a black belt in Karate. But none of that mattered. Naruto just had the edge because of evolution when it came to raw strength.

"Yeah. I know. I wouldn't want you to feel like I was…controlling you. But are you sure about that whole love slave thing? Because I could tie you up to the bed and we could have A LOT of fun. You would look really sexy all chained up and completely at my mercy…" Naruto says, his eyes flashing gold.

The human blinks. Alright. Naruto apparently had a slight bondage fetish. That was um good to know.

"Naruto, we can discuss sex games later. Right now, we need to find my ancestors. Go get the damn guards and I'll wait right here for you." Sasuke says and watches as Naruto heads off to do exactly that.

* * *

Meanwhile back on Earth, Tsunade was trying to figure out how the communication device worked. If Sasuke could use it on Konoha, surely it worked in both directions. The busty blonde had her top scientists and engineers on the case. So far they hadn't been able to figure out how it worked.

"Is it possible that it can only be activated by speaking in their language?" Kabuto suggests.

The President blinks. That was a possibility she hadn't considered before. Still it did them no good. No one could speak a word of Jinchuurikiese.

"I suppose that's possible. But no one ever learned their language. Naruto and his friends learned ours so quickly, that there was never really any need." She mutters.

Kabuto nods. That was true. He was eager to figure out the mystery of the device as well. He doubted Sasuke and Itachi were alive at this point, but there were other reasons for him wanting to learn how to use it.

There were at least two species out there, that were intelligent life forms. Intelligent life forms that were capable of traveling across galaxies. Kabuto's mind boggled at the possibilities of what else might be out there. Earth needed to be prepared.

"Maybe it's used by a genetic code." She muses.

"We are trying everything that we can think of Madam President. I'm sorry. We really are trying, but this device is a complete mystery to us." A scientist says.

Tsunade sighs. She couldn't be angry with them. It wasn't fair to expect them to instantly understand how an alien technology worked. Still she refused to give up. They would find a way.

"Tsunade, Sasuke said that he would contact you again. Right now, I would take the kid at his word. Maybe you can ask him, the next time he calls you." Jiraiya suggests.

"He said he'll call. That doesn't mean he'll keep his word though. We need to be prepared for the worst case scenario Jiraiya." She snaps at him.

Jiraiya sighs. He knew that Tsunade was worried. Anyone would be really. It was only logical. However, worrying herself sick wasn't going to actually help anyone.

"Has the boy ever lied to you before? Do you have any real reason to doubt he'll keep his word?" The white haired man asks.

"Well no. He hasn't lied to me. Not that I know of anyway. But Jirayia, that's not good enough. He and Itachi potentially hold the fate of humanity in their hands. If they upset those aliens in anyway, it could mean the end of all of us. We have to figure out how this device works." Tsunade says.

He shakes his head. He understood her fear of course. Quite honestly, Jiraiya did share it. Still there was nothing that they could do at the moment. He had decided the best thing, the only thing, he could do was hope that Sasuke called again.

"Well at least they told you they have no interest in war." He offers.

"For now. That doesn't mean they won't change their minds later. How can you possibly be so calm about this?!" She thunders at him.

"Because losing our composure won't help the situation. We have to stay calm and keep our wits about us." He tells the busty blonde.

Tsunade shakes her head. She orders one of her Secret Service members to get her a drink. The blonde knew that she would need it. She had never felt so helpless in her entire life. What were they going to do about the mysterious race(s) of aliens that knew where they lived?

* * *

Meanwhile on Konoha, Itachi and Gaara were basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. The two Mates were curled up into each other, without a care in the world. That was until Itachi notices the Sun rising.

"That's odd. I would have thought Madara and Izuna would have come for us by now." He muses.

"I wouldn't worry about it. They are quite old. Madara and Izuna may just be sleeping in. After all, they have had an exciting couple of days." Gaara reasons as he brushes the bangs out of Itachi's face.

Itachi nods. He was probably worried about nothing. Izuna and Madara were over a thousand years old. If nothing else, they were survivors. Gaara was likely right, they were probably just sleeping in.

"I can't even fathom reaching that age." He muses.

"You will. The treatments can work on any species, but it's only used on our kind and our Mates." The red head informs him.

Itachi nods and frowns. While he couldn't blame Jinchuuriki for not sharing such a wonderful technology with everyone, it did raise some questions. He really knew very little about Gaara's species. He knew almost nothing about the species that apparently had played a role in his heritage. It was a bit disturbing.

"I suppose that make sense. Will you still want me when as wrinkled as a prune?" He asks.

"I'm certain that even your wrinkles will be sexy. I'm not exactly sure what a prune is though. " Gaara replies and kisses his Mate.

Itachi smiles and kisses back. Maybe it didn't really matter. He loved Gaara. Gaara loved him. They could sort the rest of it out later.

"That is very sweet." Itachi says.

"Not nearly as sweet as you taste, but I am glad my words bring you pleasure." The red head murmurs lustfully and caresses his Mate's cheek.

"Oh they do. Trust me, you bring me A LOT of pleasure. That was especially true last night. Though I was wondering, if I could top next time." The engineer asks.

Gaara smiles. He said next time. Itachi wanted to Mate with him again. That was a very good sign. Their bond would be a strong one. He was sure of it.

"I don't mind. I like giving and receiving pleasure equally, really. Whatever brings you greater satisfaction is fine with me. Are humans…particular about such things?" The Kazekage inquires.

"It varies. But most do have a strong preference in one direction or another." Itachi says.

The red head nods. He wished that he had watched some of the videos Jirayia had acquired for Naruto. Still he had managed to please his Mate last night, so that was certainly something.

"Speaking of preferences, do you favor a hard or soft bed?" He asks.

"That was random. A soft bed. Why do you ask?" Itachi replies in confusion at the red head's question.

"Well it is important. Your comfort is paramount to me. Since we are going to be spending a considerable amount of time in the bed together, I want you to enjoy it." He says with a smirk.

Itachi laughs. He was in love with an alien. A really perverted alien. Half the time, he wondered if this was all just a really vivid dream. It was hard to believe this was actually happening.

"How very considerate of you." Itachi muses dryly.

"Yes, I thought so as well." The Kazekage observes in a rather smug tone.

The engineer tries not to laugh. He supposed some things were universal. One of them was being smug after getting laid. It was an interesting thing to note.

"Tell me more about Suna. You said it is like Africa or the Middle East. Does that mean the heat is unbearable?" He asks.

"It's about ten degrees hotter than this region on average. It is not anywhere near as punishing as your planet's counterpart." Gaara informs him.

"Well that's good. I'd rather not have my feathers melt off." The Uchiha says with amusement.

The red head nods. That would be a shame. They weren't natural feathers, but they were still rather nice. Itachi was also getting better at flying. Gaara was impressed by his progress.

"Yes, that would be very unfortunate. Speaking of feather condition, I really should try to speak with Madara. I don't like how hard he is pushing you." The Kazekage says with a frown.

"He means well. I suppose he is fond of the sink or swim school of parenting." Itachi says with a shrug.

He might as aggressive as Naruto or Sasuke when it came to his warrior percentage, but it was there. He wouldn't allow anyone to think he couldn't handle whatever his crazy ancestors threw at him.

"Are you certain? You do not need to put on an act for me. I know how strong you are, but you are a human. This is all so new to you. It's not fair to treat you as if you were born as one of us." His lover inquires.

"I'm certain. It is in my blood after all. Granted, one has to stretch really far back to find it, but it's there. I appreciate that you worry about me so, though. It shows you care and I feel the same way about you." Itachi informs him and kisses Gaara's nose.

"Of course, I care. You are my Mate. You are my everything. I know that this all is odd to you, but you'll see. There is a reason why we have Mates." Gaara says with a confident nod.

"I'm beginning to see it now. So I met Naruto's parents. We are Mates now. Am I going to meet yours? They probably won't be too happy with me. I seduced their son before they even met me." Itachi says with a sly smile.

"…" Gaara goes silent.

He goes silent enough that Itachi begins to worry. Then it dawns on him. There were only two possible reasons why Gaara would react in that way to his question. Either he had a horrible relationship with his parents or they were dead.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that was a sore subject for you." Itachi says.

"No. It's fine. You couldn't possibly have known. My parents are dead. But I do have a brother and a sister that you could meet, if you desired." Gaara says.

"I think I would like that. My parents are also gone. I know that words are rather meaningless in situations like this, but I understand how hard it can be to lose someone that precious to you." Itachi whispers.

Gaara smiles. He wraps his wings around Itachi closely. Honestly, his mother had died when he was a hatchling. He had never been that close to his father. Rasa had seen him as a potential rival for the Kazekageship later down the line.

The red head decides it probably wasn't a good idea to mention those things now. He didn't want to make his Mate more uncomfortable. Besides, if things went well, they could start their own family. There was no reason to dwell on the unpleasant past.

"Thank you. Your words will never be meaningless to me, by the way." Gaara assures him.

* * *

Elsewhere on Konoha, Sasuke follows Naruto and the guards to the nightclub. He was stunned at the sheer size of the place. Despite it being very early in the morning, it was still jammed packed. Maybe aliens didn't have a set sleeping schedule?

There were hundreds, maybe even a couple thousand Jinchuuriki. Sasuke marvels at all the different wing, tail, and eye marking colorations on display. It was like some sort of extraterrestrial rainbow.

"Wow." Sasuke whispers to himself.

"You doing okay?" Naruto whispers to his Mate in concern and Sasuke nods.

The lights were beautiful. There was an exotic music playing. He'd never heard anything so hauntingly beautiful, yet erotic before in all his life. The scent of sweat, sex, and alcohol hung heavily in the air. There was also a certain energy in the air that was driving him crazy.

On Earth, the saying that there was something in the air, was just that. Here on Konoha, he knew differently. Sasuke knew that he was feeling chakra. Lots and lots of it.

"Yeah. I'm better than okay." Sasuke says with a smirk as he darts off to find his ancestors.

"Damn it!" Naruto growls and tries to chase off after his wayward Mate.

He had seen Sasuke's eyes bleed red. The Uchiha was clearly overwhelmed by all the chakra in his air. His network was being stimulated in ways, it had never been before.

To someone like Naruto, the air in Amaterasu didn't phase him. He was used to being around chakra. Sasuke wasn't though.

There were three possibilities. First, it would trigger his flight reflex and scare the Hell out of him. That obviously hadn't happened. Second, it might make him more aggressive. Sasuke could feel the need to defend himself from the "threats" surrounding him. Finally, it could stimulate his sex drive. So Naruto knew it was either the second or third option. Either way, he needed to find his Mate now.

"Ah there is one of my nephews!" Madara calls out when he sees Sasuke approach him.

He smirks. His Sharingan was active. It did make Madara proud to know that the Uchiha bloodline so strong that even after ten centuries of being diluted by human blood, his descendants could activate their family's trademark.

"Oh wow! He looks just like you, Izuna." One of the female Jinchuuriki says.

Sasuke blinks. He hadn't really seen a female Jinchuuriki up close before, other than Naruto's mother. This one's breasts could give Tsunade a run for her money. He looks around and notes that Jinchuuriki body types were apparently as varied as human ones were.

"As he should. He's my great great …well many greats grandson." Izuna says proudly.

"What's your name, cutie?" The female asks.

"Sasuke. Nice to meet you. Alright Izuna, Madara you've had your fun, but let's get you back to the castle." He says firmly.

"Awe that's no fun. Why don't you stay for awhile? Is this your first time here?" She asks as she pushes him onto the couch and sits in his lap.

Sasuke groans when he felt her lap against his clothed erection. He didn't know what it was about this place, but it was driving him insane with lust. He knew that he wasn't really attracted to her. He was gay, but his body was responding anyway.

"Sorry. You seem nice and all, but I already have a Mate. You might want to get off of me before he comes here." Sasuke warns her.

Yeah, that didn't work out so well. Naruto found them. Thankfully, he had heard Sasuke reject the female. Sasuke swallows hard when he sees the fury in his Mate's eyes.

Naruto was definitely NOT happy about the woman in his lap. Sasuke looks at him apologetically. He tries to explain that she jumped into his lap and that he didn't come onto her. Naruto didn't give him a chance though. He tugs on the woman's tail until she was pulled off of his Mate.

"Like he said, he's Mated. He's Mated to ME. So unless you want to challenge me for him, I suggest you get away from him." Naruto growls at her and the woman takes off.

"I'm sorry. I just…this place it's so intense and I wanted to find them. She came onto me and sat in my lap. I was telling her to get off when you showed up. I'm just really fucking turned on right now an-" Naruto silences his Mate and kisses him possessively.

Sasuke returns to the kiss. He moans when Naruto deepened it and pushed him against a wall. He might not be a Jinchuuriki, but he knew what the blonde was doing. He was telling everyone that happened to be looking, Sasuke was taken and there would be consequences if anyone even thought about looking at him.

Normally, a display like that would have pissed him off. Sasuke hated possessiveness or clinginess. But it was Naruto. Instead of annoying him, it was turning him on even more. He grinds up against his almost lover and groans at the wonderful friction the action resulted in.

"Do you think our descendant is an exhibitionist?" Izuna wonders out loud to Madara.

"Possibly. Though I think the chakra in the air was too much for him. He got overloaded. We should probably drag them back to the castle before a scandal results. I can just see the headlines. Prince caught ravishing his Mate on the dance floor." Madara notes with open amusement.

Izuna nods. His elder brother grabbed Naruto and drug him off. Izuna grabs Sasuke and does the same. They soon head back to the castle. The guards followed suit.

Once they were out of the club, Sasuke's head begins to clear a little bit. He looked confused and disoriented. He blushes when he realized what had just happened, he had just let Naruto make out with him in an alien club with everyone watching.

"There's no shame in it. You're human. Your chakra network just started working again. That place is dripping with chakra. It's saturated in the very air itself. You basically went from crawling, to trying to run a marathon." Izuna explains.

"Oh." Sasuke says.

"Yeah, I should have realized that would be an issue. I'm really sorry, Sasuke." Naruto says.

"It's not your fault. I'm sorry about the alien chick in my lap. You know that I wouldn't cheat on you. She just kinda threw herself at me." Sasuke mutters.

Naruto smiles. He wraps his wings around his Mate. The blonde nuzzles him. Yeah, he knew that. Sasuke would never cheat. He was a good Mate.

"I know. That Blossom threw herself at you. It was pathetic. Doesn't matter. We got your ancestors back. Let's head back to the castle. I wonder what Itachi and Gaara are up to." He muses.

"Naruto, why did you call her a flower?" Sasuke asks in confusion.

"Blossom on Konoha isn't a description of a flower. It refers to a man or a woman who is too free with their affections. They will let anyone "pollinate" them, if you will." Madara explains.

"Ohhh. That makes sense, I guess. I really have to brush up on my alien slang." Sasuke mutters.

Naruto nods. Stupid Blossom. How dare she think she could seduce Sasuke?! Sasuke was his Mate, not hers. Hmpf.

"As for Itachi and Gaara, they've been getting pretty cozy lately. Their probably screwing each other into the mattress by now." Sasuke observes.

"That's my descendant!" Madara says proudly.

Sasuke rubs the back of his head sheepishly. It was kinda creepy to hear a man Madara's age talk about sex so blatantly. The youngest Uchiha imagined Madara clubbing some female and dragging her back to the cave in his day and having a grand ole time.

"Sasuke, I saw that look. I'll have you know that back in our day we were both considered quite desirable. It is in the genes after all. Uchihas have always been a warrior clan and that does draw a fair amount of admiration from both genders when it comes to attracting lovers." Izuna explains.

"…" Sasuke is speechless.

"Well if they all looked like Sasuke and Itachi, I can understand why. Come on Sasuke, let's go tell Gaara and Itachi that we found them." Naruto says happily and a very traumatized Sasuke follows the blonde prince off to do exactly that.


	19. Love, Training, and Hatchlings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and Sasuke enjoy some quality time together as Itachi and Gaara train with the older Uchiha Brothers. Aoda places a very important phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Meanwhile back on Ophidia, Aoda pants. The battle was over for now. Manda wouldn't be plotting anything for awhile, at least not until he recovered. Unfortunately, the giant Serpente knew that wouldn't take long.

"Go and tend to your injuries and I shall do the same. I do not like fighting against you, brother." Aoda says.

Manda was bound and determined to attack Sage. He couldn't allow that to happen. While Serpentes had a long and unpleasant history with the Allied Forces, they had never actually been to war with them.

"You will regret this, Aoda. It does not bring me pleasure to battle you. But I will end you, if I must. This is the greatest opportunity that we have had in centuries. I shall not see it squandered because you lack the fangs to take what is rightfully ours!" He hisses and slithers off.

Aoda was proud of his race. He knew they were strong, but he knew a losing battle when he saw it. They were simply too outnumbered by the Allies to ever win such a conflict.

He sighs sadly and flicks his long tongue over his injuries. His side was bleeding profusely. Manda had managed to bite him rather viciously there. Quite honestly, he had thought that might be the end of him.

The other Serpent King could have ripped open his belly, but he hadn't. Somehow Aoda had the strength to bring his tail around and smack his opponent with it. That had stunned Manda enough to release him.

"I might not get so lucky next time." He murmurs to himself as he watches his fellow Serpente leave.

Manda was critically injured. Aoda had sunk his own mighty fangs into the other serpent several times. It didn't matter though. The less aggressive snake knew that he would heal quickly. He hadn't seen the last of his rival.

That meant he had no choice. Aoda knew what had to be done. He had to make contact with the Allied Forces and try to explain the situation. He sighs and takes out a AFC that he had once stolen off of a Jinchuuriki in battle and uses his long tongue to click on the button that would allow him to communicate with Konoha.

"I need to speak with the King and Queen immediately." He says.

He could tell that the Jinchuuriki in charge of taking calls was shocked to see a Serpente speaking to him. They weren't a member of the Allied Forces. Aoda felt a flash of sympathy for the winged creature, he was rather startled by it as well. He never thought he would actually willingly contact the Allied Forces.

"Um y-es, right away." The Jinchuuriki says and he scampers off to find his rulers.

"I must say that this is rather unexpected. I don't believe we've ever had a Serpente call us before." Kushina says a few minutes later, when she and her husband arrive at the Konohaian Headquarters for the Allied Forces.

Aoda nods. He pauses. The enormous reptile wasn't really sure where to begin. He wonders if they would believe him and what they would do about it, if they did.

"Believe me, I did not expect to be doing this either. It seems something is wrong with the BufoBufoians. They believe your organization has plans to colonize them. Normally, this would not concern my people. However, one of our leaders sees this as an opportunity to gain more territory. He wants to attack Sage. I can not allow this happen because it would mean war, if it does." Aoda explains.

Minato frowns. This was series of a Serpente would willingly contact them. He must have had a genuine fear that war was imminent for him to act in this way.

"I see. Well thank you for informing us. Should our ally be attacked, we will of course defend them. It is not our desire to go to war with your people at this time, but we will if we must." The King replies.

"I understand. I just do not want senseless bloodshed to occur. I don't believe that this is over. I sense that there are more problems festering out there besides the BufoBufoians." The huge snake admits.

"Regrettably, I can not disagree." The blonde king responds.

Aoda nods. He bids them farewell and ends the exchange, leaving the King and Queen to fret. This was not a good sign.

"This is spinning out of control and fast. I think it would be best to send someone to monitor their planet and Sage." Kushina says.

"I agree. We shall simply have to decide who would be best suited for the task." The King says and the red head nods in agreement.

* * *

Elsewhere in the castle, Gaara and Itachi were relieved when they saw the others arrive. Madara and Izuna were dragging Naruto and Sasuke behind them. Sasuke looked more than a little traumatized, but there were no visible injuries on any of them.

"What happened?" Itachi asks in mild concern.

"Our ancestors decided it would be just delightful patronize an alien nightclub. So Naruto and I had to go and find them." Sasuke grumbles.

Itachi blinks. Maybe he shouldn't have asked. That was a rather disturbing image. There was no denying for their age Madara and Izuna were in excellent shape, but still it was like the Senior Center had decided to go clubbing. It was a little disconcerting to say the least.

"We're old. We aren't dead. You should have seen the feathers on some of them. Most of the females were barely dressed. It was truly glorious. Sasuke even attracted the attention of a Blossom. The prince didn't take too kindly to that though." Madara muses.

The elder human brother raises an eyebrow. He wondered what the Hell Madara was talking about. Why would Naruto be upset about a fucking flower?

"Blossom is basically our planet's word for someone who is promiscuous." Gaara explains and Itachi ohhhs.

"I see." Itachi says, not sure what else there really was to say about the matter.

"Come, Itachi. I am most eager to continue your training. Sasuke isn't fit to train at the moment until his chakra network settles down. He was just over stimulated. That place was saturated with far more chakra than he is used to." Madara says as he heads off, fully expecting his descendent to follow him.

Itachi shrugs. He looks at Sasuke and promises that he would see him later. The elder human brother follows off after his crazy uncle. Gaara soon follows suit.

"How do I settle my chakra network down?" Sasuke asks Izuna.

"Oh it will happen naturally. Your body just has to filter it. Fighting or sex are helpful outlets when one gets too…stimulated by chakra. You are new to this planet. Eventually, you'll barely notice when the air is saturated like that." He says helpfully.

Sasuke feels his face heating up with embarrassment. He couldn't deny that he felt very…energetic. It was a pure adrenaline rush. As much as he was loathed to admit it, he knew that his ancestor was right.

"Well I'm going to go explore the Royal Library. I can't wait to see how it has changed since my day." Izuna says and strides off.

"I think he sorta told us to go get a room." Naruto muses.

"Yeah, I think so too. He's right though." Sasuke says as he drags his prince behind him by the collar into their bedroom.

* * *

Sasuke quickly shuts the door behind them and shoves Naruto against the wall. The youngest Uchiha quickly captures his boyfriend's lips in a heated kiss. He was hoping that Naurto wouldn't be difficult because his erection was driving him crazy.

He knew that the chakra stimulation played a part in it. Sasuke wasn't delusional enough to believe that was the only reason why he was this aroused. The biologist had a gorgeous almost lover that had been making out with him in a very public way in that club. He was eager to continue where they left off.

"Mmm you know as much as I'm liking this new side of you, it's probably better to wait." Naruto murmurs after returning the kiss.

By the Gods and Goddesses, did it kill Naruto to say that. Sasuke was clearly ready to play, but it wasn't fair. The human was under the influence of chakra. His network just didn't know how to handle that much chakra saturation at once and it was making him aroused. Really, really aroused judging by the impressive bulge in Sasuke's pants.

"Naruto, that's sweet of you to worry about taking advantage of me. Really it is, but I need you. At least fucking fluff me or something." Sasuke growls in frustration.

Naruto bits his lower lip. It would probably be wrong to Mate Sasuke when he was like this. But at the same time, his Mate wanted him. He was SUPPOSED to take care of him and vice versa.

Sasuke shakes his head. The one time that he was absolutely ready to Mate and Naruto suddenly got cold talons? Yeah. That was not happening.

Honestly, he thought it was cute that Naruto thought he was protecting him in some way. It showed the blonde really did care about him. His human side was touched by this. His dormant Jinchuuriki said though, well it wanted to play and didn't mind fighting dirty. The Jinchuuriki side won out as Sasuke tugs off his Mate's pants.

**Warning Lemon**

"You usually aren't this this shy. Maybe you just need a little encouragement." Sasuke purrs at him seductively.

"Sasuke, this is a really bad idea." Naruto warns him.

"Your cock doesn't seem to think so. Besides, we are Mates. I haven't been fair to you. I made you wait a really long time, but I'll make it up to you." Sasuke says and before Naruto could reply, the dark haired human had his mouth wrapped around the tip of the blonde's cock.

That's when all of Naruto's protests ended. Who could possibly argue with the glorious feeling of Sasuke's hot, wet mouth around their erection or the beautiful picture he painted? No one.

"Shit! S-asuke, that isn't fighting fair." Naruto groans and runs his fingers through his almost lover's dark spiky locks.

Sasuke smirks. Victory. It didn't matter what species you were, oral sex was apparently universally loved.

The biologist didn't have a reduced gag reflex like Naruto. So he could only take about half of his well endowed lover into his mouth with ease. Still he more than made up for this, with enthusiasm.

"Never said that I fight fair." Sasuke murmurs around the alien's manhood.

He sucks, licks, kisses, and even grazes his dull human teeth over the sensitive flesh lightly. Naruto pants and moans. It was all he could do not to just slam into that wonderfully wicked mouth and fuck his Mate's throat raw.

Sasuke places his hands on Naruto's hips. The biologist must have sensed where the blonde's thoughts were going. He sucks harder and takes more of his Mate into his mouth.

"Nevermind. Y-ou can fight as dirty as you want. Shit!" Naruto moans as his desire began to burn even brighter and he could feel the heat pooling in his belly, he was so close.

His Mate seems to sense this. Sasuke nips lightly and that was all that was needed to send Naruto over the edge. He came hard and with a roar. Sasuke blinks as he looks up and notices the animalistic look of pleasure on his almost lover's face. It was so… _primal._ Something about it made his blood heat up even more.

"Sasuke, strip and get on the bed. NOW." Naruto growls at him and the Uchiha saw that the prince's eyes were flashing gold.

The biologist shivers. There was just something incredibly sexy in the way the blue eyed alien was now issuing orders. It made his dick jump with anticipation.

Normally, Sasuke never have tolerated such "bossiness" from his lovers, but with Naruto it was a turn on. He figures it must be a Jinchuuriki thing. He was a warrior class and so was Naruto. Maybe it made sense on some level.

Sasuke heads over to the bed. He takes off his artificial wings, talons, and tail. Slowly he begins to slide his shirt over his head, deciding to give his lover a show. He felt goosebumps form on his skin as Naruto watched him with what could only be described as a predatory intensity.

"Need some help? Don't tell me you are shy now after you just sucked me off like that." Naruto says as he gets behind his Mate.

"Maybe a little help would be good." Sasuke says with a smile and tilts his head back just enough to kiss Naruto.

His back was still towards the blonde's chest, but there wasn't an inch between them. He could feel the blue eyed alien's erection pressed against his thigh and the silky fabric of his shirt against his back.

Naruto returns the kiss. He tugs off his Mate's pants quickly. The blonde had wanted to do the noble thing. He had wanted to resist Sasuke's offer, but he was only Jinchuuriki. He wasn't a God or a saint, his self-control could only be pushed so far.

"You know, I wanted to be a good Mate. I shouldn't take advantage of you like this, but then you just had to go and taste me like that. How the fuck am I supposed to resist when you are practically begging me to Claim you?" Naruto asks as he strokes Sauke.

"You aren't. That's kinda the point." Sasuke groans and leans back into his lover's hold.

Damn Naruto really knew how to play with his cock. That felt so much better than when he did it himself. He shivers at the knowledge that Naruto was apparently so turned on, he couldn't be bothered to tug off his shirt.

Naruto places a trail of kisses along Sasuke's neck. That's when he started nipping and sucking. Sasuke moans and shiver, bucking into Naruto's hand as he pumped him more.

"T-That feels good." Sasuke pants out.

It was hard. Naruto could feel his teeth lengthen. The urge to mark that pretty porcelain skin was really strong. Sasuke was moaning so sweetly in his arms. It would be so easy just to bite him and Claim him.

"Can I Mark you?" Naruto whispers hotly into Sasuke's ear.

"Does it hurt?" Sasuke asks.

"Might hurt a bit at first, but then it will feel really good." Naruto says as he shoves his lover onto the bed and quickly straddles him.

Sasuke bit his lower lip. He couldn't resist grinding up against the handsome blonde. God, that felt good. He was so close. But could he really do it? Did he want to be alien married?

"Sasuke, don't do that unless you want me to Mark you. I can't fucking control myself when you rub up against me like that." Naruto warns him.

"I want you to. I want you." Sasuke tells him as he caresses his prince's face.

Naruto didn't need to be told twice. He immediately wraps his mouth around Sasuke's neck. He bites down hard enough to break the skin. Sasuke gasps as the fangs pierce through his skin like butter. It didn't hurt exactly, it was more the shock than anything else.

That's when he felt it. He instinctively knew it was Naruto's chakra flooding his system. He moans and writhes against the blue eyed alien. It felt so good. So fucking intense. He screams as his orgasm overtook him and bites Naruto on the neck. It didn't register at the moment, that his own teeth were now significantly sharper and that was why his Mark went through.

"Fuck Sasuke!" Naurto groans and arches as his own climax hit him.

He wasn't done yet though. Naruto was going to properly Claim his very naughty Mate. The blonde showers Sasuke's chests with kisses, licks, and nips. His hand finds his manhood and begins stroking him again, trying to entice him into a full Mating.

"Mmm f-eels good." Sasuke pants, his eyes clouded with desire as he runs his hands along his lover's muscular back and grabs his firm backside.

"Good. It's supposed to. Suck. I don't want to hurt you." Naruto says as he places his fingers by his mouth.

Sasuke's entire body felt like goo at this point. It was a deliciously pleasant feeling. His mind was a complete haze of sensation. Normally, he would have told Naruto off for demanding such a thing. Instead he found himself complying with the request.

"Such a good Mate." Naruto purrs in approval after a few minutes and pulls away to lay down on his back.

Sasuke looks at his lover in confusion, what was he doing. Naruto gestures for Sasuke to get on top of him. The baffled Uchiha quickly does so.

"I need to prepare you. Then I want you to ride me. That way I can see those eyes of yours. Their really beautiful." Naruto says as he parts Sasuke's legs slightly and slides a single digit inside him.

Sasuke would have normally protested the adjective beautiful, but he found himself squirming. He was definitely not used to bottoming. Naruto kisses him and continues stretching his lover.

Sasuke returns the kiss. He felt himself moaning into it when the blonde added tongue. Naruto was really good with his tongue. Probably because the blonde never shut up and it got a lot of practice wagging.

"That's better. Just relax." Naruto says encouragingly as he adds a second and then a third digit.

That's when Sasuke almost jumps. Naruto's tail decided it wanted to play. The scaly appendage caressed his chest, his ass, and inner thighs. It was an oddly erotic sensation.

"So t-that's what the tail is for." Sasuke murmurs.

"Well that and some other things. It's pretty useful actually. You ready?" Naruto asks.

Sasuke answers Naruto's question by slowly sliding onto his lover's impressive length. He winced slightly. Still he manages to wiggle his hips and begins to ride Naruto slowly.

The blonde sits up and kisses Sasuke's Mating Mark, causing him to moan. God, that felt good. The human had never felt anything like this before.

It was so intense. He was so full. The sounds Naruto was making were so inhuman and erotic. The moans, the growls, the snarls, and the seductive purr were all driving him crazy and making him practically dizzy with desire. Naruto looked gorgeous underneath him and those eyes were staring at him with such undisguised longing, that it was impossible not to want him.

"Fuck, you're so tight." Naruto growls in pleasure.

Hot and tight. Damn Naruto didn't know that anyone could be that deliciously tight. Maybe it was a human thing. Maybe Sasuke just hadn't had very many lovers before. Naruto didn't know why. He just knew that it felt really fucking good to finally be with his Mate in the way they were always supposed to.

"You're really big." Sasuke counters as he rides his lover.

He moans when Naruto hit his spot. Naruto seems to realize what he did because suddenly the blonde alien was slamming into it with every thrust. The two of them began to move as one.

The bed shook from the force of their lovemaking, but neither of them cared. They were too lost in each other to notice. Finally, Naruto gives one final powerful thrust that made his lover scream out his name as he came. The prince joins his Mate in finding release, almost at exactly that very same moment.

A few minutes later, Naruto pulls out of his Mate. He tilts Sasuke until he fall off of him and onto his side. The blue eyed alien wraps his wings protectively around his lover and indulges in some afterglow cuddling.

**End of Lemon**

"Wow." Sasuke says as he tries to catch his breath and cuddles into his most precious person.

"Yeah. Damn maybe I should take you to Amaterasu more often." He muses.

"Maybe." Sasuke says and rests his head on Naruto's chest.

* * *

Meanwhile in the palace training room, Madara watches as Itachi flies around it. Hmm his form was definitely improving. He was naturally graceful. Though there were a few minor changes that would make him an even better flier.

"Your form is good. It could be better though. Tell me, Sasuke has fire. Do you know your primary affinity?" He asks.

"I don't know." Itachi says as he flies over to his uncle.

"Hmm I suppose there's one way to find out. Instinct is the best way to bring it out. Your chakra networks should be sufficiently stimulated by now that you would react naturally." Madara muses.

Gaara gives Madera a dirty look. The red head knew where this was going and he didn't like it. He didn't like it once bit.

"Don't you dare!" The Kazekage thunders at him.

Of course this was Madara. Madara was not one to be easily intimidated. He hurls a fireball at Itachi. His nephew counters by forming a wall of water around himself, instinctively.

"Water. Hmm. I wouldn't have guessed that." Madara muses.

"YOU FUCKING THREW A FIREBALL AT HIM! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL HIM?!" Gaara snarls at the elderly Uchiha warrior.

The older alien simply shakes his head. No, he was not trying to kill his descendent. He was merely curious as to what Itachi's affinity would be. Now he knew. So there was no reason to attack him again. Well at least not for the time being.

"Of course not. I have no desire to hurt my descendent. I was merely testing to see what his affinity was. It's water. That's quite rare in our Clan. Most of our people had fire." He states.

"I can't believe you threw a fireball at me." Itachi mutters in agitation.

Madara shrugs. He didn't know why they were so upset about it. Itachi hadn't even been injured. His instincts had worked just fine. Really, children could be so overdramatic these days.

"I was only testing your abilities. It's nothing to take personally." He states.

"You call throwing a fireball at me, testing my abilities? I'm not supposed to take you trying to burn me to death, personally?!" The engineer demands in outrage.

The elder Uchiha shrugs. He hadn't been trying to burn Itachi to death. That accusation was just silly. If he wanted the human dead, he would already be dead.

"I was not trying to kill you. You can tell this because you are still breathing." He says pleasantly.

That did it. Gaara lunges at Madara. He had had enough of this. There was no way that he was going to allow the elderly alien to speak so casually about his Mate's safety.

"Your Mate is quite spirited, Itachi. You chose well." Madara informs him and dodges the attack.

That wasn't good enough for Gaara though. This creep had to learn his lesson. No one was ever going to threaten Itachi around him or speak in such a cavalier fashion about his safety!

"Yes, I guess spirited is one way to describe it. He's going to kick your ass, if you don't apologize." Itachi observes.

Madara laughs. It was one thing to have confidence in your Mate's abilities. It was another to be delusional about them. Oh he didn't doubt that Gaara was a fine warrior, but he wasn't in Madara's league. He would never be.

"I would like to see him try." The proud warrior states.

"Itachi, we are not letting this man around our Hatchlings until they are fully grown." Gaara mutters in irritation.

"H-Hatchlings?" Itachi exclaims.

Gaara rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Well that could have gone smoother, but he didn't regret it. Itachi was his Mate now. He'd like to have hatchlings with his Mate. It was a perfectly normal desire!

"When you are ready of course. I don't expect to have them right away." Gaara assures him.

"I'll…have to think about it." Itachi replies.

"Take all the time that you need, my love." The red head says and sends him a reassuring smile.

Itachi couldn't believe it. Not only had he just Mated an alien, the said alien wanted children. Itachi wasn't even sure if that was safe. It must have been though. Izuna mated with a human and the end result had been him and Sasuke. It had to be safe, right?

"I'll talk to Izuna about it. I want to make sure that such any children of ours would be healthy. That and I'm not sure what hybrids would look like." He muses.

Gaara nods. Well that was a good sign. Itachi hadn't said no. He was just…doing his research before making a decision. It was probably the scholar in him. After all, he had mated Itachi for more than just his good looks.


	20. Kaguya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A false sense of security.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

The next day, Itachi tilts his head. Was Sasuke limping? Perhaps he was just imagining it. No, no. There was definitely a slight limp to his gait.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" His elder brother asks as he walks over to the biologist.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Why do you ask?" The youngest Uchiha replies.

"You're limping. Did Izuna go overboard during training or something? Our ancestors really need to learn some restraint. Madara threw a fireball at me. I was able to block it, but still." Itachi questions him.

Sasuke blinks. Wait what?! Madara had thrown a fireball at Itachi?! Oh that was it. He was going to give his ancestor a piece of his mind. No one attacked his brother. (Other than him!)

"MADARA, GET YOUR PREHISTORIC ASS OUT HERE, RIGHT NOW!" Sasuke bellows.

"My, my. Someone is feisty today." Madara observes as he walks out towards his descendant.

"Damn right, I am. You attacked my brother with a fireball!" Sasuke hisses at him and his eyes bleed red.

Izuna shakes his head. He was probably going to have to step in here soon. He'd have to scold Madara later. A fireball? Honestly, they were basically Hatchlings when it came to their abilities. That wasn't fighting fair and his brother knew it. He'd give him a piece of his mind later.

"I do hope that you are not as hot headed as your younger brother." Izuna says to Itachi.

"No, Sasuke has always been the more emotional of the two of us. I hope he doesn't seriously try to fight him. He's injured." Itachi replies.

Izuna's lips twitch upwards in amusement. Oh Sasuke wasn't injured. Well at least he hadn't been injured intentionally. It looked like both of his descendents were now fully Mated now.

"Oh your brother is fine. It looks like the prince was just a little overenthusiastic about claiming him. He's got a Mating Mark now." Izuna observes.

The elder human brother's eyes widen. Did Izuna just say, what he thought he said? He glance at Sasuke's neck and notices that he did indeed have a Mark on it.

"They're Mates now." He says in a stunned voice and his ancestor nods in agreement.

"Yes, they are. They are no different than you and Gaara, now." He states.

Madara raises an eyebrow at Sasuke. Hmm it looked like he was really going to try this. The Hatchling was actually going to challenge him. Idly, he wonders how high the other man's warrior percentage was and how upset Izuna would be if he accepted Sasuke's challenge.

"Yes, I did attack him. My intention wasn't to injure him. I have faith in both of you. The blood ties are faint, but they are strong. As expected of our descendents, you are both able to use chakra. He used a water defense and emerged unharmed. So I don't see what you are so upset about." The elder Uchiha explains.

That did it. Sasuke charges at Madara. The alien blinks and manages to dodge. His descendant was rather fast, especially for a human. Though he supposed righteous fury, could be quite helpful in battle at times.

"Madara, you deserve whatever he does to you. I can't believe you would actually attack a Hatchling in that way." Izuna scolds him.

"He's not a hatchling. He's a grown man and has a Mate!" The eldest Uchiha protests.

Izuna gives his brother a dirty look. Yes, Itachi was a grown man and had a Mate, but he was still basically a Hatchling. The younger brothers had come from a foreign planet. They didn't even know chakra existed until very recently. It was not fair to expect them to be able to fight like Jinchuuriki and Madara damn well knew that.

"Alright. So maybe they are in a way. Still Hatchlings will never learn to fly, if you coddle them in the nest all their lives!" He says and sends a punch at Sasuke.

Sasuke gets hit. He goes flying back several feet and his body crashes into the wall. He coughs up some blood.

"I am sorry, Sasuke. I didn't mean to hit you that hard. Sometimes I forget my own strength." Madara says in a sincere voice.

His youngest descendant was not having it though. He gets up and shakes it off. His eyes flashing dangerously red, he charges again. This time with fire burning in his hands.

"Sasuke, Madara! Stop it!" Itachi calls out.

It was to no avail though. Sasuke might be mostly human, but some instincts were universal. Fight or flight was one of them. At the moment, the biologist had chosen FIGHT.

"HOW DO YOU LIKE GETTING HIT WITH A FIREBALL?!" Sasuke roars at Madara as he slams his fist into the other man's chest.

Sasuke howls in pain and quickly retracts his fist. Shit. Madara's chest was like steel. That's when he realizes there was a very good reason for that. Madara was wearing steel armor underneath his shirt. (Or something that looked and functioned like steel anyway.)

"I'm impressed. You managed to manifest fire and actually had the balls to attack me. You even landed a hit, futile as it was. It's touching really, the lengths you'll go to your brother." Madara muses.

"Don't even think about it. This fight is OVER." Itachi says as he stands in front of Sasuke.

Itachi wasn't entirely certain if Madara was play fighting or not. He knew that Sasuke wasn't. He wasn't going to allow his family to kill each other off. He was going to protect his foolish little brother.

It was sweet that Sasuke wanted to protect him. Really, it was touching that Sasuke was so outraged on his behalf. But the engineer wasn't willing to gamble with his brother's life, by letting the display continue.

* * *

"Sasuke!" Naruto calls out when he sees that his Mate's chin was covered in blood.

The blue eyed alien had just been walking down the hall, when he saw Sasuke was bleeding. The prince races over to Sasuke and wraps his Mate protectively. He looks him up and down. The blonde was frantically trying to assess how bad the damage was.

"What happened?" Naruto demands.

"It's nothing. It's over now. Madara was a Sannin. He threw a fireball at Itachi during training. So I kicked his ass for it." Sasuke smirks.

Madara raises an eyebrow. Had that hatchling just called him a Sannin?! Kicked HIS ass? It was more like the other way around.

"Don't. Just don't. They are new Mates. You'll be lucky if Naruto doesn't attack you. If Naruto does attack you, take your licks like a man. You injured his Mate. His Mate who attacked you because you were behaving foolishly. Honestly, I can't believe you would attack Itachi in such a way." Izuna commences with the tongue lashing.

Naruto heard that. His wings flap in irritation. He caresses Sasuke's face and glances him over once more. Determining that it was unlikely he had any life threatening injuries, he unwraps his wings around his Mate.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to deal with this Sannin." Naruto growls and advances towards Madara.

"Well I suppose in the interest of fairness, I'll allow you to get one shot in. You had best make it count." Madara says with a shrug.

It was at that moment that Gaara came down the hall. He was looking for Itachi and his scent was coming from this direction. He blinks when he saw the utter chaos going on.

"Naruto, I don't know what the fuck happened. But stand down. We have something important to do. A mission. It's about the Serpentes and the BufoBufoians." Gaara states.

Naruto growls. His eyes were flashing gold, but he stops. Sasuke sighs in relief. It was just now dawning on him, that Naruto might actually be crazy enough to challenge Madara to a fight to the death.

"Alright. What is it?" The prince asks.

"The King and Queen want us to go to Ophidia and talk to the Serpentes. Apparently, one of them wanted to attack Sage. Another one of them stopped it. They are going to need help." Gaara explains.

"Been awhile since we've seen a Serpente. Sounds like fun." Madara says with a smirk.

"YOU SHUT UP!" Naruto snaps at him and considers Gaara's words.

Well he didn't mind going to see the snakes. They had always creeped him out, but he'd dealt with worse. Still, he didn't want to leave Sasuke behind while he was on the mission.

"Sasuke, do you feel up to going with me? It's okay, if you don't. You're hurt." Naruto asks.

"Naruto, I'm fine. It's not nearly as bad as it looks. Of course, I'm going with you." Sasuke insists.

Itachi gives Gaara a look. He hoped that his lover wasn't idiotic enough to actually think that he was going to be left behind. The red head sighs and nods his head.

"I take it that you wish to come as well?" He asks his Mate softly.

"Yes, I do. I'm not letting my brother and Mate go to some foreign hostile planet without me." The engineer states as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Gaara sighs and nods his head. He knew that he wouldn't be able to talk his Mate out of this. He kisses Itachi's cheek and offers him his hand. The red head leads him to the ship they would taking.

"Can't we use a Stargate?" Itachi asks curiously.

"He's adapting quite well. That's a clever question, but no. Unfortunately, we don't have a Stargate on that planet. Our people have never had a particularly warm relationship with the Serpentes." Izuna answers him as they all head towards the ship.

The brothers nod. They board the ship and Madara hit's the button to shut the door behind them. Naruto gestures for Sasuke to follow him to their room. The youngest Uchiha does so without compliant.

He knew he'd probably given the blonde quite the scare and did feel a little guilty about that. He didn't regret standing up to his Sannin of an uncle. Madara had it coming! Sasuke just didn't want Naruto to worry.

"I should really fucking kill him for what he did to you and Itachi. Does it hurt?" Naruto asks as he sits down on the bed and pulls Sasuke into his lap.

"Naruto, I'm fine. Really." Sasuke tries to reassure him and cuddles into his lover.

That seems to help a bit. The blonde wraps his wings around his Mate protectively and snuggles close. His grip was tighter than usual. Yeah, Naruto was as little shaken up.

"I love you. I just don't want to lose you." Naruto says as he wipes the blood away from Sasuke's face.

"I love you too. You don't need to worry so much. Just because I'm not an alien, doesn't mean I'm made of glass." Sasuke informs him.

"Well that's a relief." Naruto murmurs and holds his Mate tighter.

* * *

Elsewhere in the universe, Pein was on another mission. This time he was targeting the Hyugas. They were one of the crown jewels in the Allied Forces. The feline race was critical to their defensive operations because their planet contained a very special resource that was used to construct shield systems on Allied ships. That is what made them such a high profile target.

"Don't worry, sister. I'm sure that Kiba is fine. He's on Konoha receiving treatment for his injuries." Hanabi tries to assure her sister.

"I know that he's getting help, but I'm still worried. The BufoBufoians' tongues are quite dangerous. I hope he isn't in terrible pain." Hinata frets.

She loved Kiba with all her heart. Most people on her planet thought the match was crazy. An Inuzuka and Hyuga falling in love was unheard of. But that's what happened.

The two sisters were so engrossed in their conversation, they never noticed the fact that two small slugs had been thrown onto their shoulder and were now slowly crawling up their necks. By the time they felt the slimy sensation, both Hyugas were too late. The slugs had already attached themselves to their hosts.

"GET OFF OF ME!" They both cry out as they try to pull the slugs off, but it was no use.

**"You Hyugas are such stubborn creatures. Just give in and it won't hurt so much. We are not your enemy. We are your saviors."** Hinata hears a voice call out to her in her head.

That's when she realizes what was going on. Gastropoda. They now were hosts to alien slugs. The only way to defeat them besides manually removing them was to out stubborn them and that no easy feat.

"What do you want?!" Hinata demands.

**"To save you. To save all of you. You will see in time. For now, it's time to sleep."** The slugs say as they stimulate an area of the young sisters' brains to put them to sleep by releasing a chemical into the skin onto the back of their heads.

The two women fall to the ground. Pein quickly picks them up and takes them to his ship. He didn't like having to kidnap them. Still he consoled himself with the fact that it was for the greater good. The ends justified the means.

He hoped that everyone would see that soon. A glorious era was about to dawn. Everyone should be celebrating!

**"You did well. These two will be enormously helpful for our plans."** One of the slugs say.

"Thank you. I live to serve. What are your next orders?" He asks.

**"Head to Planet Lupine. Gaining entry shall be easy, now that we have one of their lovers with us."** Came the reply.

Pein nods. He sets the ships coordinates to go the home planet of the Inuzukas. It was a large forested planet. He had been there a few times. It was a lovely planet indeed.

Danzo smirks inside Pein's head. The slug was rather pleased with how well their plans were going. Soon the Allied Forces would be no more and his people would take their rightful place as the dominant species in the universe.

**"Kaguya, can you hear me?"** He asks into his communicator.

_**"Yes, I can hear you. What is the status of your mission?**_ " Came the impatient reply.

**"The BufoBufoians and Serpentes are likely going to be in open conflict soon. The BufoBufoians no longer trust the alliance. We have two Hyuga females with us. One is the lover of an Inuzuka. So we expect we'll have both species under our control shortly. It is all going to plan, Your Excellency."** Danzo informs her.

Kaguya's lips pull back into a smirk. Excellent. It was all working exactly as it should. The slugs were so easily fooled. They actually thought that she was helping them to become the rulers of the universe. In reality, she was just using them.

Their pride made them easy targets. The Gastropoda were an extremely intelligent race, but their pride made them weak. All it took was some ego stroking and a display of her power and they were willing to do exactly as she bid them. Perfect.

_**"It pleases me greatly to hear that. You have done well. When the time comes, you will be rewarded."**_ She says.

Oh yes, she would reward them. They could have their place in her new Kingdom. After all, she would need more than just foot soldiers. They would serve her well.

They all would. It was only a matter of time. If anyone stood against her, she would utterly obliterate them.

* * *

Back on the ship, Gaara leads Itachi to their room. Naruto had the right idea. Sometimes one just needed to have some alone time with their Mate. This was especially true while you were about to go into hostile territory.

The red head wasn't a fool. He knew that this mission was dangerous. Certainly, he had gone on far more dangerous ones in the past, but he had never taken his Mate with him. That made this the most terrifying mission that he had ever gone on.

"Something is troubling you. I can see it in your eyes. Is this about the fireball?" Itachi asks.

"You're right. Something is troubling me. No, it's not about the fireball. Though I must confess, that incident does make me have a strong desire to strangle your ancestor." He mutters in agitation.

Itachi chuckles. Yes, he had similar feelings about the fireball incident. He smiles though and caresses Gaara's cheek. That didn't matter now though. What mattered is that they were both safe and together.

"Tell me what's bothering you then." Itachi orders him.

The Kazekage's lips twitch upwards in amusement. Almost no one would dare to order him around. The only exceptions were King Minato, Queen Kushina, Naruto, and now Itachi. His Mate had almost no deference to his title. Itachi felt completely entitled to give him orders.

"This mission. I worry for your safety." The red head admits.

"You don't have to worry for my safety. I have the Sharingan and can use water chakra. That and I have you. Not to mention, I also have Sasuke and probably Naruto's protection as well." The engineer tries to put the other man's mind at ease.

Itachi could feel Gaara's unease. He couldn't explain how exactly, he just knew it in his bones that the Kage was worried. That in turn made him worried. Maybe he should try to take his mind off it.

"And I'm sure if we decide to have any Hatchlings, they will also be perfectly safe." The Uchiha says.

Perhaps it was playing a little dirty. The aqua eyed alien hadn't pushed the issue, but he had made it rather clear that he did want children. Still Itachi decides it was a good idea to take Gaara's mind off of his troubles, at least for awhile.

"So you are considering it then? I don't want you to feel as though you have to have Hatchlings to please me. I want them, but I would never force you into doing something that you didn't want to do." His lover says.

Itachi smiles. He caresses Gaara's cheek. He knew that. If there was one thing that he knew about Gaara, it was that the man was not pushy. He was patient and in his own way, kind.

"I know that. I am thinking about it. I do have concerns. How would a hybrid be treated on Konoha? What would he or s he look like? Would they be healthy?" Itachi wonders.

Itachi couldn't help it. He was worried about what sort of fate would befall their child(ren). The engineer had always assumed that he would eventually have kids, he just never thought he would have them with an alien. (Well not until recently anyway.)

"We are hardly the first Mates who are from different species. Crossbreeding has been done before. Our people hold Mating bonds to be very sacred and thus children produced from them are considered sacred as well." Gaara begins.

The Kazekage pauses. He wanted to put his Mate's mind at ease. He could only hope that somehow he would succeed in accomplishing that. Itachi had valid reasons to be concerned, but Gaara was confident that their hatchling(s) would be just fine.

"That's good to know. How common is it for your kind to take a Mate outside of their species?" His Mate inquires curiously.

"Most Jinchuuriki end up mating other Jinchuuriki. Still it's not that unusual for Mated pairs to come from different species. As for how our children will be treated, I won't lie to you. There might be a few fools who look down on hybrids. However, they are in the minority. There will always be idiots in every species." Gaara continues.

The dark haired human nods as he considers the Kage's words. It seemed that on Konoha, racism (err speciesism) was not viewed as a large concern. Perhaps humans would evolve out of such prejudice eventually as well, he muses to himself.

"As for what they would look like, I don't know. I can't really say if Izuna's child was representative or not. Obviously, you and Sasuke are here. So Izuna's hybrid child was healthy enough to produce offspring." Gaara replies.

"That's true. The hybrid obviously was healthy enough to have a child. So that's a good sign. At least we know that human-Jinchuuriki hybrids aren't necessarily sterile or infertile automatically. So that's somewhat comforting." Itachi observes.

Gaara nods. Well at least Itachi was giving the matter serious consideration. He wasn't entirely certain if he had soothed over his lover's anxieties completely, but it was a start.

"It's been a long day. How far away is this planet?" The human asks.

"I'd say that it's about a day's travel in Earth time from here. We should probably get some rest. I sense that we are going to need it." The Kazekage mutters.

Itachi nods in agreement. He lays down on the bed and gestures for Gaara to join him. The red head does so immediately and lays at his side. Soon his wings were wrapped around him in a loving cocoon.

"I'll never get over it. Your wings are absolutely beautiful." Itachi confesses as he pets one of them.

"I feel the same way about all of you." Gaara replies with a smile and enjoys the petting.

This was good. He had his Mate by his side. Itachi was happy with him and they might eventually have a family of their own. Things would be perfect, if only the could figure out what was going on with the BufoBufoians and Serpentes.

"You are such a romantic." Itachi says and kisses his Mate.

He was happy that the red head had calmed down. It was sweet of Gaara to worry about him so much. Still Itachi was more than capable of handling himself.

Privately, he decides he'd ask Izuna for lessons. He doubted that the Kazekage would let him go anywhere near Madara again. Itachi knew that it was important to learn how to control his new powers. Izuna might be able to help him with that.

"Only for you." Gaara replies after returning the kiss.

He curls up against his Mate. The Kage yawns and closes his eyes. It didn't take long for him to drift off into a contented sleep. Itachi soon joined him in the land of dreams. Neither of them had any idea about the chaos that was heading their way, all thanks to a certain ancient Jinchuuriki named Kaguya.


	21. Downright Frightening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke learns more about another alien species.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Sasuke was impressed by how quickly they arrived on the Serpentes' planet. Once they land, he stands next to Naruto. He knew that this planet was apparently inhabited by giant talking snakes. It was probably best to use the buddy system on this one.

Itachi seemed to be having similar thoughts to Sasuke. The elder human brother laces his fingers with Gaara. His now crimson red eyes scan their surroundings on alert. The engineer had figured out how to activate the Sharingan at will by now and was going to take full advantage of his newfound abilities.

"Careful. We've never had a particularly good relationship with the Serpentes." Madara warns them and Izuna nods.

"How come?" Sasuke asks warily as he looks around and notices that a massive snake was slowly slithering towards them.

The biologist suddenly wasn't so sure it had been a good idea to come here. It was a planet of enormous reptiles and the reptiles didn't like them. Yeah, maybe he should have skipped out on coming here.

He mentally slaps himself for having these thoughts. He was a warrior class. Damn it! Sasuke could handle a bunch of overgrown snakes!

"We aren't sure why. The first time that we arrived, they just attacked us unprovoked." Izuna says.

Sasuke frowns. That didn't make sense. If they were anything like their counterparts on Earth, they wouldn't lash out like that. There had to be a reason. He hoped there was a reason because that big snake had just arrived within striking distance.

"Welcome. I wish I could say that your arrival was under better circumstances, but I am glad you came. I need you to take Manda off somewhere that he can be held. I do not wish for a war to start because he is impulsive." Aoda states.

"Why would you give us warning? Your planet has not had very amiable relations with ours in the past." Gaara inquires.

Aoda sighs. He knew that was true. It was really only natural that they would be suspicious. He would have thought them stupid, if they weren't.

"While our kind do not like yours, we are not fools. Your Allied Forces would completely crush us, if we went to war. Manda wants to take over Sage because the BufoBufoians have strained their relationship with the rest of the Allies. I know this would only led to a war. While his heart is in the right place, his actions would cost tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of lives. I can not allow that." The massive snake replies.

Gaara glances at Naruto. The story did seem plausible. Still the red head clearly felt uncomfortable trusting them.

Sasuke glances behind them. He could see the impact of where a large ship had once landed. It appeared that there were memorials there? He walks over and picks up a white piece of something. It was a piece of what seemed to be a rather large egg.

That's when he looks at Izuna. His ancestor was about to sit on a very large white "rock" that matched the shell. Aoda saw this and didn't react well. He lunges at the ancient warrior. Sasuke dives over and shoves his ancestor out of the way.

"I think I know why the Serpentes don't like us much. When you landed here the first time you landed on a nest." Sasuke observes.

"…" Izuna and Madara blink.

That would explain a lot. They had felt something crunch underneath them when they landed all those years ago. It would explain the hostility…

Aoda blinks. The young "Jinchuuriki" was acting as though his people didn't know about the Hatchlings being crushed to death so many years ago. Had it been an accident?

"It seems we owe your people an apology. We had no idea those were eggs. We thought they were just rocks that we smashed when we landed." Izuna says.

"Hundreds of eggs were crushed. They were killed. We thought they were murdered. An apology is not going to bring them back, but it does make a difference to realize it was an accident." Aoda observes.

Sasuke nods and examines the truly enormous egg. It was as big as him. He gingerly touches it and blinks when he noticed a shadow. There was definitely something in it and it was moving.

"That's the largest Hatchling that my Mate and I had this year. Unfortunately, it's a dud. It's not going to hatch. There are some eggs that just never hatch for one reason or another. So we moved it here. Since the crash, this is where we bury those eggs that just don't hatch." The massive reptile explains.

"I don't think it's a dud." Sasuke says.

"What are you talking about? That egg should have hatched a month ago." Aoda asks.

"There's something moving inside it. Come see." The youngest Uchiha says and the serpent slithers over to have a look.

Sasuke points. He gestures to the shadow. There was something moving inside it. He bites his lower lip and wonders if it was similar to snakes on Earth. It was such a large egg, maybe it just wasn't warm enough. He summons some fire in his hand and holds it close to the shell, heating it.

A cracking noise is heard. Naruto's eyes widen in panic. He grabs Sasuke and pulls him away form the massive egg, just as the creature bursts out of it. The egg shell pieces go splattering everywhere.

"SON!" Aoda says and wraps his massive tail around the "baby" snake (which was the size of a fucking anaconda) protectively.

"Son? How can he tell?" Itachi whispers to Gaara.

Gaara shrugs. He honestly had no idea. But he wasn't going to argue. It was a strangely touching scene really.

"Surprised you don't have any Nurturer in you, Sasuke. You are a daddy now. Sorta." Itachi teases him.

"Oh screw you, Itachi." Sasuke grumbles and Naruto wraps his wings around Sasuke.

Aoda beams at his son. He was such a large Hatchling. He couldn't believe it. He had thought that the largest egg was a dud, but here he was strong and thriving. His Mate was going to be so happy!

"I think I shall call him Daisuke." Aoda decrees.

"Um alright then." Sasuke says awkwardly and cuddles into Naruto's arms, feeling a little freaked out that an alien snake was sorta named after him.

"I owe you a great debt. My son would have slowly starved to death in that egg if you hadn't noticed it. Now that we know it was an accident, maybe things will improve between our people." Aoda says as he nuzzles the baby snake, who appeared to be cooing.

Sasuke looks at Itachi helplessly. Itachi shrugs. He gives the universal motion for, _"Just go with it."_ Sasuke nods and does exactly that.

* * *

Meanwhile Hinata and Hanabi's slugs give them the order to send out a force to attack the Inuzukas. The princesses fought against their parasites viciously, but neither of them were able to wrest back control. Hinata pushes the button that would tell the Hyuga battleships to set sail across space.

"Stop this!" Hinata screams at her Gastropoda.

The Hyuga woman tries desperately to shake off the slug's control of her. She couldn't let this happen. This would mean war! What if they didn't believe her when she said that the Gastropoda had forced them to do it? Kiba would never forgive her!

**"Stop fighting. That is very annoying. We can make this much more painful for you, if you continue resisting."** Her slug says.

"Get away from me and my sister!" Hanabi hisses at the slugs, desperately trying to yank it off of the back of her head.

It was too late for that though. The slugs were now far too deeply attached to them to be removed that easily. The feline women hiss and meow, trying to free themselves from the other aliens' control, but it was no use.

"It really is so much easier, if you just accept it. They are not your enemies. The Gastropoda are our friends. They just want to help us. They want to help all of us. You don't see it now, but you will. I promise that all will make sense to you in time." Pein assures them.

The sisters hiss at him. Their claws extend in fury. Thankfully for Pein, the slugs were able to prevent the princesses from actually attacking them. Still he decides it was best to restrain them. He was not going to take any chances. Hyuga claws were just as lethal as his people's talons.

"You won't get away with this!" Hinata yells at him.

"Yes, I will. I'm sorry. I don't like restraining the two of you, but you are being difficult. You didn't leave me with any other choice. It doesn't matter now though. The ships are on their way to the Inuzuka planet. It's all going according to plan." He says.

The sister's eyes widen in horror at that knowledge. What had they done? They had probably just started a war.

Little did they know that elsewhere in the universe, Konan had managed to break out of her cage. The female Jinchuuriki clutches her head in terrible pain. She had finally managed to defeat that slug.

Now she had to find a ship. She had to get back to Konoha and warn them. That or the nearest Allied planet. She just hoped that it wasn't too late. There was no telling what those slugs had managed to do while she was trapped.

"Please let him make it out of this alive, somehow." Konan mutters to whatever Gods and Goddesses might be listening as she finds a small ship and sets her course for Konoha.

* * *

A few hours later, all the Uchiha brothers and their Mates were back on board their ship and heading home. Gaara was with Itachi in their room. He was pretty sure that Naruto had drug Sasuke off to go provide some tender love and care to his injured Mate. The red head didn't even want to know what Madara and Izuna might be doing in their room!

"That was quite strange." Gaara muses to his lover as he kisses his cheek.

"My baby brother just played midwife to an alien snake. Strange is kinda an understatement. Still it's a good thing he did. That could have gotten ugly and fast." Itachi observes.

Gaara nods in agreement. It was nothing short of a miracle. Thank Kyubbi that Sasuke had figured out that was an egg. It could have turned into a bloodbath. He was just glad that they were all safe.

"It's amazing how these misunderstandings can happen." Gaara muses.

Itachi blinks at the word misunderstandings! Shit! That was not good. They had completely forgotten about Tsunade. He had to get in touch with her. The poor woman probably thought an alien invasion was about to happen or something! How could he be so careless?!

"Gaara, can I borrow one of those communication devices? I really need to get in touch with Tsunade. She's probably extremely worried about what happened to us." Itachi asks.

"Of course." The Kazekage says as he hands his Mate the communication device.

Itachi listens as the Kage shows him how to use the thing. It really was such a fascinating piece of technology. It could apparently be used across galaxies. He really had to ask Gaara HOW this thing worked. It was incredible really. He mouths a thank you as he calls Tsunade.

"Itachi?!" Tsunade asks when she sees the man's face in her own device.

"Yes, it's me. We are very sorry about this. It just was kinda a spur of the moment thing. We did leave a message. Still that's no excuse. It was very inconsiderate of us to take off without asking or explaining things to you." Itachi says.

Tsunade couldn't believe it. Itachi had called her. It was irritating. They had just up and run off across the space without even so much as a goodbye. The only way she knew what happened to them was because of their phone message and Sasuke calling earlier.

"I can't believe you two. You just left without even discussing it with me and then call out of the blue?!" She demands.

"You have every right to be angry. It was just…it just all happened so fast. But I assure you that we came of our own free will and that Earth is not under any type of threat." He explains.

* * *

Kabuto watches as Tsunade talks to Itachi on the phone, a few minutes later. Unbelievable. So Itachi was still alive. That meant Sasuke might still be alive as well. How had they survived all this time in deep space and with these aliens to boot?

"Well that's good at least. When are you two returning home?" She asks.

"We aren't sure. I can't speak for Sasuke, but I'm quite happy here with Gaara. Happier than I was on Earth." Itachi says.

Kabuto blinks. He could feel blood practically boil with rage at that comment. Happy with Gaara? He was romantically involved with the fucking alien?! Was Itachi completely out of his mind?!

"Itachi! Come home now. You know it's not safe. Look at what Naruto did to Sasuke. These creatures might not mean to hurt you, but they will!" The silver haired security guard tries to reason with him.

"How dare you?! Itachi is my Mate. I would never hurt him and that was an accident." Gaara growls into the communicator and his eyes flash silver.

Itachi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. There was bound to be some cultural misunderstandings while the two species got used to each other. This was all just growing pains. Though he was really glad that Gaara was not in the same room as Kabuto at the moment.

His Mate looked absolutely furious. The engineer wouldn't have been shocked if the red head attacked Kabuto. Well that probably would have happened, if they were in the same room. Once again, he thanked his lucky stars that they were not.

"You kidnapped him. He's not your Mate. He's your prisoner! You probably turned him into your sex slave by using some sort of mind control on him!" Kabuto snaps at Gaara.

"You human are rather fortunate that we are no longer in the same galaxy. If we were, I would make you regret those words. You know NOTHING of my people or our ways. Itachi is my Mate. I cherish him and he is with me of his own free will." The red head bristles.

Tsunade sighs. She could feel a giant migraine coming on. The busty blonde couldn't believe that she had to meddle in a cosmic love triangle.

When she became President, she thought she understood what she was getting into. She understood that she would be the symbol for their country. The blonde woman understood that every second of her life was going to be watched. She knew that her decisions could mean the difference between life and death. What she hadn't expected was a situation like this. This screwed up outer space love triangle.

"Despite this serious very unfortunate misunderstandings, I would like for our peoples to have good relations with each other." The blonde says with an exasperated sigh.

"I would like that too." Itachi replies with a smile.

"You expect me to believe that? Itachi and Sasuke just willingly left their fucking planet to be with two freakish aliens that they barely knew?!" Kabuto thunders at Gaara.

Itachi smacks his forehead. He really wished that Kabuto would shut up. He was making this situation a whole lot worse than it had to be. What the fuck was wrong with him?!

"Yes, we willingly went with them. It's really none of your concern. Tsunade is our President and should be briefed as a matter of security. We don't owe you any explanations, Kabuto. Now apologize to Gaara." He demands.

"I'm not apologizing to that freak!" Kabuto protests.

Tsunade sighs. She couldn't believe she was going to do this. She knocks Kabuto out. She was not going to have Earth go to war against another advanced civilization because he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Well thank you for calling and straightening things out. If you ever pull something like that again though, I am having your asses locked up." She says with a fake cheerfulness that made Itachi shiver.

"Got it. Good night, Tsunade." Itachi says as he turns off the "phone."

Gaara's feathers were still bristled. It was clear he was extremely agitated by what Kabuto said. Itachi sighs and caresses his cheek.

"Don't let it bother you. I'm with you because I love you. He's just jealous. Kabuto wanted me to be his Mate. He wanted Sasuke once he realized I wasn't interested as well. Actually, I think he has an Uchiha fetish quite honestly." Itachi muses.

"I can't really blame him for that. You are a very attractive family. But if he ever tries to touch you, I will shred him to ribbons with my talons." Gaara grumbles.

"You know this possessive side of you is strangely hot." Itachi muses.

"Really? I can work with that." His red head replies and Itachi smiles as he kisses his lover.

"Good. I was hoping that you would say that." Itachi informs him.

* * *

Elsewhere on the ship, Naruto was laying on the bed with Sasuke. The blonde was looking over his Mate VERY thoroughly. He was convinced that his injuries from the spat with Madara were a lot worse than they were.

"Naruto, I'm telling you that I'm fine. Why can't you just take my word for it?" Sasuke asks with a sigh.

"He hurt you." Naruto growls.

"A little. Not that much. Besides, I did hurt him too." Sasuke says.

He knew that was a bit of an exaggeration. Madara's armor had protected him. Still he figured that might calm Naruto down, as long as he was reminded Sasuke could handle himself.

"Sasuke, that's NOT the point!" Naruto protests.

Sasuke shakes his head. Oh boy. He was going to have to fight dirty. He sighs and pushes Naruto onto the bed. The human straddles his lover's waist and looks down at him.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asks in confusion.

"Naruto, I love you. But you really have to stop treating me like I'm some princess that you are supposed to save from the big bad dragon." Sasuke informs him.

Naruto tilts his head to the side. He didn't know what a dragon was. But he thought he understood the general gist of what Sasuke was trying to say.

"You're my Mate. I'm supposed to protect you." The blonde states as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I know and you do a really good job of it. But I'm a warrior class too. I'm not weak Naruto. I love you, but I'm going to have to kick your ass if you keep treating me like a damsel in distress." Sasuke taunts him and kisses his lover.

Naruto returns the kiss. He runs his fingers through Sasuke's dark spiky locks. It was a relief to be able to hold him like this. Sasuke was alright. He might have gotten roughed up by his ancestor, but was alive. He was healthy and safe with him. That's what mattered.

"You're right. You are a warrior. I just can't help worrying about you. I want to keep you safe. Is that so bad?" Naruto asks.

"It's not bad. Just don't treat me like a china doll. So what do you think is up with the Serpentes and BufoBufoians?" Sasuke asks as he glides his fingertips over Naruto's handsome wings.

"Mmm don't know. That feels nice." Naruto murmurs.

Sasuke smiles. He does it again. He really did like the feeling of Naruto's wings and well of Naruto in general. God help him, he was in love with an alien. Madly, passionately in love with an alien prince. Could his life get any more bizarre than this?

"Well I guess it's nice that Aoda likes us again at least." Sasuke observes.

"Yeah. You were amazing. Surprised you don't have any nurturer in you. You might have just saved relations between our species." The blue eyed alien observes.

"Thanks and I hope so. I don't think that whatever is going on with the BufoBufoians is an isolated incident. It doesn't make any sense. You've had the Allied Forces for centuries. You've never made another planet into a colony. So why would you start now and with them? Someone or something is messing with them." Sasuke says seriously.

Naruto sighs and nods. He would much rather go back to kissing his Mate and having his feathers stroke. Sasuke was right though. Something was going on. Something very bad was going on. They had to figure out what it was before things got worse.

"Yeah. I don't know. It makes no sense. Well at least we have Manda now. The Serpentes are on our side. You are like the fucking snake whisperer or something." Naruto says with a laugh.

"Yeah. I guess. Do you know anyone else that might have been in contact with the BufoBufoians? Someone that holds a grudge against the Allied Forces?" Sasuke questions him.

"Well there is the Gastropoda. They are a race of slugs. Wicked smart, but they're usually tiny. For a short time they can get as big as the Serpentes though. Most of the time, they attach themselves to a host. Usually it's a symbiotic relationship, but sometimes…well there are bad apples in every species." Naruto shrugs.

Sasuke shivers. A race of alien slugs that could attack themselves to you or become as big as Aoda? That sounded like a horror movie. Yuck. He tried to imagine it and felt like he was going to be sick.

"Do you think they would have done something like this though?" Sasuke asks.

"It's possible. I don't have any proof. I mean they are pretty arrogant. They think they are smarter than everyone else. They also really resent having weak bodies most of the time. I think they are jealous of warrior races like ours." The prince continues.

Sasuke considers this. Naruto's race was beautiful to put it mildly. He could understand why a race of slugs might be jealous. Still it wasn't exactly a comforting thought.

"If they infect someone, how can you tell?" Sasuke asks.

"That's the thing, you can't. That's what makes them so dangerous when they go bad. Your best friend could be infected and you might never know. It's pretty scary actually." The blonde admits.

Sasuke gulps. That was more than pretty scary. That was downright frightening. He bit his lower lip. He had a bad feeling about this. Maybe it really was the slugs who were behind everything.


	22. The Plot Thickens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More about the Gastropodas evil plans are revealed as Orochimaru launches a preemptive strike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Warning: Minor character death. Though I doubt anyone's going to complain. I didn't actually show the death in this chapter, but if people want to see the death scene do let me know. I will post it next time, if there is an interest in it. I didn't feel warnings were necessary in the chapter itself.

Konan sighs in relief when she gets to Konoha. Thank Kyubbi for small miracles. She soon lands and rushes towards the castle. Her speed likely tipped off the guards that something was wrong because they all came rushing at her.

"I NEED TO SPEAK WITH THE KING AND QUEEN IMMEDIATELY!" She cries out desperately.

"Calm down. Tell us what is wrong?" One of the guards asks her.

"I now what is behind the strange behavior of the BufoBufoians and if the Gastropoda aren't stopped, this could launch a war!" She yells at them.

The guards blink. They were briefly considering whether or not they should take this clearly disturbed woman to see a healer, when the King and Queen happen to stroll by and witness the scene. Kushina walks over to see what all the commotion was about.

"What is going on? Tell me, what is distressing you so." She commands of Konan.

"The Gastropoda are controlling the BufoBufoians. They are planning to do much more than that though. My Queen, I know that it sounds crazy. But I promise you that every word I speak is the truth." She says desperately.

Kushina looks at Minato helplessly. She wasn't entirely certain that Konan was in her right mind. Though it made more sense than any of the other theories that they had thus far come up with to explain the strange situation on Planet Sage.

"It's alright. We wish to hear her out." The King assures the guards.

The guards look at him rather skeptically. It was clear that they weren't fond of the idea of leaving the Monarchs alone with the potentially insane woman. They bow and do as they are bidden though. The Jinchuuriki head off.

"My Mate is possessed by one of them. He's not in control. He thinks that he's serving some noble purpose. While I was being held hostage, he told me of their plans. They intend to tear the Allied Forces apart." Konan continues.

Minato frowns. The slugs had always been a thorn in their side. Their arrogance could be quite vexing. Still this was beyond the pale. He never would have suspected that they would be capable of this level of treachery.

"Well if they really are behind it, the solution is simple. We need to capture one of their hosts and starve them out. They will need to feed eventually, they can't stay on their host forever." The King observes.

Seven days. That's how long a slug could stay inside their host before they would have to leave and feed. Usually they would leave long before then. Eight days was how long a Gastropoda could go without food before they would starve to death.

"I can show you were I was held, but they left. That's how I was able to escape. I believe that they would return though." The blue haired woman tells them.

"I can't believe this. The nerve of those slugs. If they want a war, we can certainly give them a war!" Kushina seethes.

"My love, let's not be hasty. This may still be resolved peacefully. Granted the odds are slim, but I would not like to see more bloodshed than is absolutely necessary." Her husband says.

"THEY ARE BRAINWASHING OUR ALLIES INTO THINKING THAT WE ARE ATTACKING THEM! THIS HAS GONE FAR PAST THE POINT OF TALKING!" She bellows.

Minato rubs his ears. Ouch. He loved his Mate, but she was far from a quiet woman. His poor ears. He was likely going to have a headache for days after that outburst.

"Kushina, losing our heads is not going to help the Allied Forces. Calm down. We have to maintain our composure, if we are going to protect our people and Naruto." He says and Kushina sighs.

"You're right. It's just I feel so helpless. We have to do something. There's no way to tell who is under the influence of those filthy slugs." She mutters.

Minato nods. He might be calm on the outside, but he was a warrior class. He could feel his talons lengthening in rage. He just knew that he had to channel his fury. If he let it rule him, nothing good would come of such an action.

"Come, my dear. You must be exhausted after your long journey." Kushina offers.

"Kushina, I am going inform the rest of the Allied Forces." The blonde alien calls out.

The feisty Queen nods her head to show that she had heard her husband. Minato would find a way to fix this. He always did. Truly, her Mate could perform miracles.

"I am. Thank you, my Queen. You are both too kind." The other woman says and Kushina leads Konan to one of the guestrooms.

"Thank you, for warning us of this threat. Is there anything you need?" The red head asks.

Konan ponders the question. She didn't want to sound greedy, but she was hungry. Mostly, she was just grateful that the King and Queen had believed her.

"If it is not so much trouble, perhaps a bit of food. I was a prisoner for a long time." She says.

"And they did not feed you properly, during that time. I understand. I'll have something brought to you. Put your mind at ease. We will find a way to resolve this situation. Minato is going to warn the other members of the Allied Forces. Together, we can do anything." She reassures her.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Konan nods in agreement.

* * *

Back on Earth, they were no longer on the island, but back at NASA. The President, Kabuto, and everyone else who had gone off to monitor Naruto in a more natural habitat. There was no reason to stay on the island, if the aliens were gone.

Orochimaru sighs. He had witnessed the entire exchange between the President, Kabuto, and Itachi without any of them realizing it. The security guard's jealousy was out of control. It was going to cause problems at this rate.

He didn't want to do it. Kabuto was his friend. Still it was for the greater good. The scientist knew that he had to act before the younger man started an intergalactic war. A war that humans had no real hope of winning.

"Kabuto, how about we go to your place for drinks after work? You need to take your mind off of this. It is going to drive you crazy otherwise." Orochimaru inquires after approaching him.

"Maybe you're right. They are too far away to do anything about the situation at the moment. Yes, stop by my place after work. I'll break out the good stuff." The other man says and Orochimaru nods in agreement.

* * *

Later that night, the scientist goes into the kitchen to retrieve the finest bottle of wine that he had. Privately, the scientist had to agree. This really was an exquisite brand of wine and it was from a very good year.

He supposed if Kabuto had to die, at least he could go out in style. He sighs and pours them each a glass of wine. Orochimaru didn't relish this task, but he knew it was necessary. While he did enjoy the other man's companionship, his life was not worth potentially putting the entire human race in jeopardy.

"I really am sorry about the way things turned out." Orochimaru says as he walks into the living room and hands Kabuto his glass.

"I am as well. Those aliens are probably going to kill Itachi and Sasuke. I suppose it's their own damn fault really. I can't believe that they actually ran off to another galaxy with aliens!" He exclaims.

Orochimaru nods sympathetically. He clinks his glass with his friend's. It was unfortunate that it had come to this. Still he consoled himself with the fact that he very well may be saving mankind.

"I understand completely. You'll feel better after you've had a drink." Orochimaru says.

"Yes, perhaps you're right." The silver haired guard agrees and sips his wine glass.

The scientist didn't have the heart to watch Kabuto die. He had chosen a somewhat slow acting poison. At least this way, he could enjoy a final evening with his friend and he wouldn't have to watch as the light left his eyes. He wouldn't have to see the look of confusion, fear, and betrayal on Kabuto's face. Yes, it was better this way.

The evening passed pleasantly. Orochimaru was glad that at least Kabuto's final night was an enjoyable one for him. Eventually, bids his friend good night and heads off.

"It will give me just enough time to get out of here. No one will ever suspect a thing." Orochimaru murmurs to himself as he drives off.

As far anyone else would know, it would look like Kabuto had simply poisoned himself. With his erratic behavior lately, he doubted very many would suspect otherwise. Plus, he would have a plausible alibi.

A few of his "friends" had agreed to say that Orochimaru had gone out of town that night. It really was the perfect murder. He glances back at Kabuto's house as he drives off and sighs. Too bad it was the only one that he wished, he hadn't had to commit.

"Well it's not the first time that I've had to kill someone." He mutters to himself as he heads out of town.

Orochmaru firmly believed in _Survival of the Fittest._ He was very careful about how he went about it, but sometimes he would eliminate his professional competition. He always made sure that it could never be traced back to him though. It was how he had risen to the top of the scientific community.

* * *

Meanwhile Gaara was showing Itachi how to fly the ship. He was an engineer. The red head was confident that Itachi would be a quick learner and if not, well he was standing right next to him. He'd make sure that they didn't fly off course.

"Your ships are unbelievable." His Mate muses.

"You would have likely developed something similar, if given enough time. Now, whatever you do…don't hit the red button." Gaara warns him.

"What does the red button do?" The elder human Uchiha inquires cautiously.

"It cause the ship to self-destruct." The Kazekage informs him and Itachi blinks.

Yes, he was definitely not going to be hitting the red button. Thank God, that Gaara had warned him before he started exploring. They all would have been blown to bits.

"Good to know." He murmurs and the red head nods his head in agreement at this assessment.

"So we should be home, soon?" Sasuke asks as he walks over to them.

"We should be landing in a few minutes actually." The red head replies with a smile.

Naruto strides over to his Mate. He wraps his arms around Sasuke gently. He'd gotten thrown around by Madara not that long ago. So he didn't want to hurt him more.

He was happy though. Sasuke had referred to Konoha as home. He was adapting quickly. The blonde supposed it was in the blood to a certain degree. Speaking of blood, he sighs when he hears Izuna scolding Madara.

"Stop harassing the Serpente. Honestly, you are like a Hatchling." The elder alien brother snaps at him.

"Oh I'm just having some fun. Can you really blame me?" The elder brother inquires.

Izuna raises an eyebrow. Oh yes, yes he could. He knew that Madara was feeling rather mischievous lately. It was hard for him to begrudge his brother his fun. The man had had precious little of it until recently. Still he wasn't going to let the warrior start a new war over his teasing of the snake.

"Yes, I can. Knock it off. We are escorting Manda back to Konoha to prevent a war, not to start another one." His younger brother hisses at him.

"Oh alright. All I said was that he looks like a giant talking dick. I don't know why that upset him so much." Madara says with a shrug.

Itachi and Sasuke just shake their heads. Their ancestors were a lot less regal than they had initially imagined, sometimes. They both share a look as if to say, _"Are we really related to them?"_

"We are landing now." Gaara says as he steers the ship into closest thing the aliens had to an airport.

Their ship descends. Soon enough the red head leads them into a smooth landing. The Uchihas and their Mates get out of the craft and stretch their legs. That's when Naruto saw his father running towards them.

"I'm so glad that you are back. There is so much that we have to tell you. Come inside, quickly." Minato says as he ushers them inside.

Itachi blinks. He hadn't known the alien King long, but he didn't think that the blonde was the type to panic. He sounded really worried about something. Something was up. Something big.

Minato leads them to the Council Room. Madara and Izuna look right at home. It really hadn't changed much in the past thousand years or so. Naruto and Gaara also settle down at the grand table rather comfortably. For the human brothers though, they were awestruck.

There were so many gorgeous paintings and tapestries. All of them filled with fantastic scenes of other worlds and creatures that neither brother had ever imagined existed. They assumed these were other alien species. The table was made of a shining metal that resembled gold and the chairs had some sort of red velvet like cushion to them. The floors gleamed like diamonds.

"We know what is wrong with the BufoBufoians now. Their minds are no longer their own. It seems that the Gastropoda are influencing them." Minato begins.

"The what?" Itachi asks in confusion.

"An alien race of slugs. They are highly intelligent, though arrogant sons of a bitches." Madara supplies helpfully.

Itachi blinks. He didn't know what slugs could possibly do to toads the size of hospitals, but he nods. He gestures for the King to go on.

"Precisely. Most of the time they are rather small. Only an inch or three at most. They can easily fit into their hosts ear." Minato continues.

The younger Uchihas make a face. It was obvious that they were imagining how the slugs would crawl into someone's ears. Both of them were grossed out at the possibility.

"Yes, I know that it doesn't make for a pleasant image. Usually it is a rather symbolic relationship though. The slugs share valuable information with their host and the host provides them protection." The elder blonde explains.

"Makes sense." Sasuke mutters.

Izuna frowns. There was no way of telling who was "infected" or not. This was not good.

"And what made you suspect that it's the Gastropoda that is behind the strange behavior being exhibited by the BufoBufoians?" He inquires.

"One of our own claims to have escaped their clutches. She was being held hostage. Her Mate is the host to one of the slugs and wants to break apart the Allied Forces. From what she has told us, it seems like they are using the BufoBufoians as a stepping stone to do that." Minato replies.

Itachi considers this. If the BufoBuofians were under the influence of the slugs, there was one simple solution. They just had to catch one of the toads.

"If we think that the BufoBufoians are all infected, then it would be easiest just to capture one of them. Is there any way to make these slugs come out?" He asks softly.

"That's a good idea." Izuna says and nods approvingly at his eldest descendant.

"Of course, it is a good idea. My Mate has a high scholar percentage." Gaara says proudly.

"Oh get a room. I know that you are newly Mated, but all that sugary sweetness is going to give me cavities." Madara mutters.

This earned him a rather dirty look from a certain Kazekage. Sasuke shakes his head. His ancestral uncle did seem to love provoking people. He pawned it off to the fact that the man was mostly insane and had just snapped out of his thousand year period of mourning.

"Oh go find a Blossom to pollinate. That's assuming you could even get your prehistoric dick up in the first place." The red head snaps at him.

"Well you are certainly brave. I suppose you don't have much scholar in you though, if you are foolish enough to challenge me." Madara states with a smirk.

"Stop it. Both of you. We have a potential war on our hands. We have more important things to worry about than a dick measuring contest." Itachi snaps at them.

"HE STARTED IT!" They both cry and Minato rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

The King couldn't believe that a thousand year old warrior would utter that phrase. Unbelievable. He was living history and that is what Madara said? Nevermind. Itachi was correct. They did have more important matters to attend to.

"I shall send a team at once to capture one of the toads. How did your mission with the Serpentes go?" He asks.

Naruto snickers. Minato raises an eyebrow at his son's strange reaction. He failed to see what was so amusing about going to a planet filled with massive snakes.

"I feel as though I have missed something?" Minato asks.

"We found out why the Serpentes have held a grudge against us for so many years. It seems that when we initially landed on their planet, we unwittingly crushed one of their nests." Izuna admits sheepishly.

"YOU WHAT?!" The blue eyed King shouts.

Izuna sighs. It had been an accident. If Sasuke hadn't pointed it out, they never would have noticed. Still he did feel guilty. He wasn't in the habit of killing other people's Hatchlings for no good reason. Their grudge was now perfectly understandable.

"It was an accident. Neither of us realized it at the time. Sasuke figured it out though. He also helped hatch an egg that was supposedly a dud. So now Aoda is grateful to him. Oh and we brought Manda with us. He was planning on attacking Sage." Madara summarizes.

Minato blinks. He couldn't believe this. For a thousand years, they had no idea why the giant serpents were so hostile towards them. Now he had just found out it was because Madara and Izuna had accidentally crushed their eggs? Flabbergasting!

"Is there anything else that I should know?" He demands.

"Well Sasuke and I are officially Mates now…" Naruto adds.

"That much I expected was going go happen shortly. Welcome to the family Sasuke. Oh and congratulations to Itachi and Gaara on their Mating. I suppose this makes Itachi related to us by marriage as well. Your brother did Mate my son." He muses.

Itachi and Gaara nod their thanks. Minato sighs. Well at least now he was caught up on everything and they had a plan.

"You are going to want to tell your mother about your Mating though, Naruto." The King informs his son.

"Well yeah. Of course. I was going to. It's just that things got a little chaotic. Sasuke, do you wanna go tell her now, while we are here?" Naruto asks.

Sasuke shrugs. He supposed they might as well. He just hoped that the Queen wasn't going to hug him to death or something.

"Alright." He says as he follows Naruto down the hall.

"You can meet my siblings soon, if you like." Gaara offers to Itachi.

Itachi considers this. It would probably be a good idea. It would make their Mating seem more official. He was a little skittish about meeting even more aliens though.

"Do you think that they will have a problem with my being human?" He asks cautiously.

"No. They won't care. My siblings are many things, but speciesist isn't one of them. Don't worry. I'm sure that they will love you. Temari is likely going to be jealous that I found such an attractive male to be my Mate though." Gaara says smugly and Itachi chuckles.

"Good. Then I look forward to it." Itachi says and kisses Gaara's cheek.

Izuna sighs. He covers Madara's mouth. He wasn't going to let his older brother ruin the moment for the new Mates. He'd gag him, if it came down to it.

Madara gives his sibling a dirty look for that move. His brother just shrugs as if to say, you know you deserved it. Izuna keeps Madara's mouth firmly covered as the other Mated pair walks off.

"It's fortunate that we have you here. You are both quite revered these days." Minato offers.

"Thank you. I suppose if we wish to keep it that way, I shall have to tape my brother's mouth shut." Izuna says with a dramatic sigh.

Madara twitches. He swats Izuna for that one. He adored his little brother. He really did, but sometimes he needed a good smack upside the head. As his loving older brother, it was his job to give it to him.

"Some days, I find myself quite relieved that I am an only child." The King observes with a grin.

"Some days, I find myself wishing that I was an only child." The Uchiha brothers both mutter at once.

The blonde alien shakes his head. Well there was one thing for certain, no one in this palace was going to be bored for a very long time. Naruto was now Mated. The Kazekage had also found his Mate. Now they had two ancient warriors back on Konoha and there was a potential war brewing.

"I do hope that your quarters are comfortable?" He asks, deciding to change the subject.

"Oh quite comfortable. It was very generous of you to give us such lavish accommodations." Izuna replies.

Madara nods in agreement. It sure beat the caves that they had been staying in for the past thousand years. Still he reminded himself that he would need to give Izuna a good tail kicking later. His little brother needed to be reminded that he was the leader of this operation!

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. Well the best way to deal with Gastropoda is to starve them out of their host. We just need to catch one and force them to tell us what they know." He reasons.

"Easier said than done." Madara says.

"I know, but it is the only plan we got at the moment. Good night, gentlemen." The King says as he departs.

The two brothers look at each other. They didn't doubt for a minute that the slugs were involved. But neither of them believed they were the real mastermind. That only left one question though, who was controlling the Gastropoda?


	23. I'm Not Izuna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the Uchihas engage in some family bonding and battle giant toads, the Hyuga Sisters struggle to save their people and the Inuzukas. Kaguya makes her move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you enjoy this chapter because it's quite critical as far as plot development goes.

"Does anyone else have any concerns about the fact that we are supposed to capture a giant toad?" Sasuke asks as they begin suiting up for their next mission.

"I think it would be easier just to dart them with a substance that will make them cold. I'm assuming they are cold-blooded?" Itachi asks.

Izuna pat pats Itachi proudly on the shoulder. That was his descendant. Well descendants. Clearly, they got their brains from his side of the family and not Madara's, he thought with a smirk.

"A most excellent suggestion." He says and Madara heads off.

A few minutes later, he comes back. He was carrying what Sasuke was pretty sure was an alien version of a tranquilizer gun. A really big fucking tranquilizer gun.

"If that doesn't knock them out, I don't know what will." Sasuke mutters.

"Don't worry, Sasuke. I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Naruto says with a smile and Sasuke flails.

"What about when you accidentally nailed him with your talons and Madara over there gave the kid a pretty hard smack?" Kisame asks innocently.

Itachi and Gaara just shake their heads. Kisame was asking for it. The blue skinned alien wanted to help them on their task. He had said something about not wanting to miss out on any of the fun and that had been that.

Naruto lunges at Kisame. The Akatsuki wisely runs for his life. Sasuke sighs. Sometimes he wished that Naruto was a little less dramatic.

Itachi got the mellow Mate. He got the hyper one. Still Naruto had a lot of good qualities that made it easy to overlook his more boisterous nature, most of the time.

"Hey, I'm going with you. I'm feeling better." Kiba says as he walks over to them.

"Kiba, I'm not sure if that's such a good idea. You just recovered from when you were attacked." Kushina protests.

The Inuzuka growls in annoyance. He wasn't weak. He just hadn't expected to be attacked by allies. That was all.

He was ready now. The canine like being wouldn't let his guard down again. This time things would be different! He was sure of it.

"Thanks for worrying about me, but I can handle it. Besides, I can't let a bunch of overgrown toads think that they can smack around my kind without there being any consequences." The Inuzuka says with a grin.

Minato sighs. He knew how stubborn that species could be. He merely nods his consent. He would have gone with them, but he was needed here. He had to stay here in case a war broke out.

A King had to be with his people in times like these. He would have vastly preferred to go with his son, but he knew that he couldn't Kushina had almost boarded the ship, before he stopped her. That was his Mate. Always such a firecracker.

"Looks like we got a lot of babysitting to do this time, eh brother?" Madara asks.

"This from the man who accidentally crushed hundreds of eggs. It's a wonder that our family line didn't die out with your parenting skills." Sasuke mutters.

"HEY! I resent that. You both turned out just fine!" Madara protests and Itachi chuckles as he gets on the ship with his Mate.

"Sasuke, shouldn't you summon your Mate back to you? We'll be leaving soon." Izuna points out.

Sasuke sighs. He nods his head in agreement. He knew that it wasn't exactly fighting fair, but he was pretty sure he knew how to get Naruto back there quickly.

"NARUTO, ARE YOU UP FOR SOME FLUFFING AND TASTING?" He calls out.

Itachi blinks. He had never expected his baby brother to be so forward about his sexuality. Then again, he couldn't really argue with the results. The prince was almost instantly by his Mate's side with a big grin.

"Always." He beams at Sasuke and drags him aboard the ship.

Sasuke shakes his head in amusement. The young human allows himself to be dragged off. Naruto was clearly feeling frisky.

"Well I guess we are ready to take off then." Izuna notes with amusement as he heads inside with Madara.

Kisame and Kiba had already boarded the ship while Sasuke was luring Naruto back. Madara checks the ships condition and nods at Gaara. It looked like they were all set to head to planet Sage.

* * *

Meanwhile on a far off planet, Kaguya goes over the reports form the Gastropoda. They had successfully taken over Sage and kidnapped the Hyuga Princesses. This was a most excellent start.

"It's going to take more than that to bring down the Allied Forces though. We need to start expanding our reach." She muses as she looks over a map of the closest galaxies.

She smirks as she looks into her pool of water. It was a special one. It was infused with the energy from when the universe was first created. If manipulated by chakra, it would allow her to focus in on any corner of the universe she wanted and see what was occurring.

"Show me Konoha." She whispers and uses her chakra to manipulate the energy to show her the planet on which she was born, so many millennia ago.

She tilts her head to the side. Hmm she recognized the Jinchuuriki Prince. Her eyes widen when she saw who was with him on the room. Izuna. But he looked as though he hadn't aged a day in a thousand years.

How was that possible? Had he somehow discovered the pool and drank from it? That was how she had been able to live far longer than any of other Jinchuuriki.

"I would have noticed if he drank from the pool, wouldn't I?" She asks herself, feeling somewhat alarmed.

There was really only one solution. She would simply have to capture him and then force him to tell her how he had achieved seemingly eternal youth. She continues watching them.

"Well I suppose many years have passed, but he is still quite virile." She muses when she sees that Izuna was mating with the prince.

He had always been a clever one. She supposed that it was his scholar percentage that was responsible. It was only to Izuna's benefit to Mate a prince. Kaguya would be impressed, if she wasn't so alarmed by his youthful appearance.

"I have to find out where they are going." She murmurs and guides the pool to show the control room of the ship.

* * *

Gaara and Itachi were steering it. She smirks when she saw the cords. They were heading right for Sage. This was perfect. She would just have to capture Sasuke and that would be the end of that.

The Allied Forces had to be disbanded or defeated. They were a threat to her ultimate goal. She was going to rule the universe.

"The slugs are so easy to manipulate. I suppose I should check in on them though." She muses as she makes contact with Danzo.

**_"Your Majesty, it is an honor to hear from you as always. I have excellent news. The battle is commencing between the Inuzukas and the Hyugas. Unfortunately, the princesses are being difficult. I do not know how long we have before they regain control of their bodies."_** He informs her.

She sighs. Well that was inconvenient, but nothing that would stop them. While it certainly would have been easier to maintain control over the kittens, it didn't matter in the end. The war head already begun.

"Tell them to leave the girls. Kill them. We can't have them warning others of our plans." She says.

**_"Yes, My Lady. I will do as you command. As always. I live to serve you of course."_** Danzo says.

Kaguya was going to kill Danzo first once she was crowned the supreme ruler of the Universe. She detested those that used flattery to power climb. She had seen many of Danzo's type and knew that they were secretly plotting to stab you in your sleep. She would not fall for that ploy.

"Izuna is somehow alive. He looks as though he has not aged a single day in a thousand years. I want him captured, ALIVE. I can not what you do with the rest of the crew. They are headed to Sage. Do whatever you must in order to accomplish your objective." She hisses at him.

**_"Of course. I shall see to it at once, but I am confused. How is that possible? I thought you were the only one who had achieved immortality and that you were the only one who had the ability to do so?"_** He inquires.

She felt herself twitch in irritation. Kaguya was grateful that Danzo could not actually see her while they were communicating telepathically. It was a rather undignified response and the future ruler of the Universe should always conduct herself with grace and pose.

"Are you questioning me? You know what happens to those that make that mistake. I did not take you for a suicidal Gastropoda." The alien seethes at him.

**_"No! Of course not! I would never question you. I was merely curious. I shall ensure that he is captured and brought to you. Alive. We Gastropoda are completely loyal to you. You should know this, My Lady. You have made us see the error of our ways. You have convinced us all to strive towards a brighter future and for that we are forever in your debt!"_** He states somewhat nervously.

She smirks. Kaguya could practically taste his fear. That was pleasing. Still she had bigger problems to worry about than one slug asking too many questions. She had to capture Izuna and see how he had acquired eternal youth.

* * *

Elsewhere the battle was raging between the canine and feline like people. Hinata watches in horror from her position on the battleship. She wanted to say something. She wanted to do something. The princess knew this had to be stopped, but she couldn't.

**"You are a rather persistent little princess. So is your sister. This will go much better for you, if you do not fight us."** Her slug informs her.

"Get away from me! I won't let you start a war!" She hisses at him, her fangs showing.

She glances over nervously at her younger sister. Hanabi was fighting valiantly. She was clearly trying to hit her head against the wall in hopes of passing out. Unfortunately, her Gastropoda was onto this tactic and keeping her a few inches away from the wall.

**_"I've never seen two more stubborn cats in my entire life."_** The second Gastropoda growls.

"You aren't going to get away with this! You'll get caught!" Hanabi rages her warden.

The slugs grown in frustration. These princesses were so annoying. Why couldn't they just be good kittens and stop fighting them?!

"NEJI, DUCK!" Hiashi roars at his nephew as an Inuzuka lunges at him fangs bared.

The young feline alien manages to duck just in time. It was a close call. The battle was fierce. It had only just begun, but already the grass was red with blood.

Neji was confused. He had no idea why Hinata and Hanabi would order an attack on this planet, but he would do as he was bidden. The young alien was somewhat disturbed by the fact that his King seemed to share his confusion.

"Why are we fighting them?" He asks Hiashi.

"Hinata and Hanabi said that they were planning to attack our planet. This is a preemptive strike." Hiashi thunders at his nephew as he slams his fist through the chest of one of the canine aliens.

The sounds of claws and teeth clashing could be heard for miles around. Cannons were being fired. Lasers were being deployed. Bodies were beginning to litter the ground.

Hiashi had been trained for battle all his life. He had just never thought he would actually see a war. The Allied Forces' combined strengths was more than enough to deter any attacks. Yet here he was, fighting for his life.

"Right!" Neji agrees and hisses when an Inuzuka slashes at his arm with their lethal claws.

"NEJI!" Hiashi calls out in alarm and tries to reach for his clansmen, only to be blocked by a group of Inuzukas.

"Where do you think you're going? You're the ones that attacked us. Now you are going to suffer the consequences. You treacherous cats! We should have known you could never be trusted!" Tsume snarls at the other leader.

The Hyuga Patriarch blinks. What the Hell was she talking about? The dogs were plotting against them! They had done the sensible thing and attacked first.

The Inuzukas were the traitors. They were the ones who were betraying everything the Allied Forces stood for! Not them! This woman was out of her mind.

"You are the traitors! Not us!" He growls and lunges at the mother of his daughter's suitor.

* * *

A short while later, the Jinchuuriki warship lands on Sage. Itachi shakes is head in amusement. He walks over to Naruto and Sasuke's room. He knocks.

"We're here. I hope that I'm not breaking up anything." He states from behind the door with no small amount of mirth.

"Give us about ten m-minutes." Itachi hears his brother pant out.

"Make that twenty!" Naruto adds cheerfully and the elder human Uchiha shivers when he hears Sasuke moan.

He loved his little brother. Really, he was happy for Sasuke. Sasuke had found love. That was a beautiful thing. He just had no real desire to hear his little brother get ravished by his Mate.

"Did you tell them that we landed?" Gaara asks Itachi as the other male came into view.

"I told them. Naruto said they'd be out in 20 minutes. They sounded as though they were having a grand time though. It might be as much as an hour in my estimation." Itachi states.

Izuna snorts. He couldn't help but envy his descendants. It was a wonderful thing to find your Mate. But did they have to throw their good fortune in their faces? He couldn't even remember the last time he had enjoyed the company of a female.

"Oh don't be jealous, brother. That's why I took us to the club. I thought we could find some companionship. You're the one who had your feathers in a twist." Madara chides him.

"I can't believe that you just said that in front of our descendants!" Izuna growls at him.

"They are both Mated. They know where your tail goes. They know where babies come from. I don't know why you insist on treating them like hatchlings." He continues.

Kiba blinks. He had a hard time believing these were two legendary warriors. They acted like pups!

* * *

An hour and a half later, Naruto and Sasuke stumble out. Sasuke had learned his lesson. Now that Naruto had Mated him, he wasn't going to be satisfied with only fluffing or tasting. He wanted the ENTIRE meal with many, many courses.

"Well I don't now if Izuna is jealous, but I confess myself feeling that way." Gaara mutters.

"As soon as this mission is over, I will make certain you have no cause to feel neglected in any way." Itachi tells Gaara.

The red head smiles. That was better. He kisses his lover's cheek. Itachi was just a very professional person. His lover would always strive to accomplish the task before him and then he would play.

"Well I guess you guys are all too busy screwing. I should take the shot." Kisame states.

"What?! We are not screwing anyone." Madara and Izuna exclaim.

"Oh. I thought you two were lovers. I mean you sleep in the same room." The Akatsuki says.

Madara and Izuna fall over on their ass in shock. How could the other man think that?! Was he out of his mind?!

"They are brothers. Our ancestors. You knew about the Sharingan but don't recognize them?" Sasuke asks.

"Wait. They are REALLY Izuna and Madara? I thought you were all joking about that. You're serious?!" The Akatsuki asks in disbelief.

All of the Uchihas smack their foreheads in frustration. Was this alien for real? He honestly thought that they were joking about being related? None of them even knew how to respond to this.

"Um right. Yes, that's the real Madara and Izuna. No, this isn't a joke. Sure, Kisame. You can take the tranquilizer." Naruto says.

Sasuke smiles. That was his Mate. Naruto was really good at taking charge of a situation. That was probably why he was such a good prince.

"ALRIGHT! Yeah! Let's bag us a toad!" Kisame says happily and charges off.

"Is he always so reckless?" Itachi whispers to Gaara and his Mate nods in confirmation.

The red head sigh. Kisame was an Akatsuki. It was just how they were wired. They were an adventurous species, to put it mildly. A fearless species. That's what made them excellent warriors and not the best scholars.

Kiba wasn't far behind Kisame. The Inuzuka were also a rather feisty species. The elder Uchiha brothers sigh and inform their companions that they would stay back and guard the ship. After all, they were now in hostile territory.

He soon finds a BufoBufoian. Kisame smirks. He takes the shot. Saskue had to admire his precision with a gun, if nothing else. It was really something.

"AHHHHH!" The giant toad calls out in surprise and suddenly its skin started to be covered with ice.

The massive amphibian falls over. Well that was easy. Too easy really. Itachi looks around suspiciously.

"SASUKE!" Itachi calls out in horror when he saw the ground underneath his brother begin to move.

"What?" Sasuke asks in confusion, but the ground burst open. A BufoBufoian leapt out of it.

He grabbed Sasuke in his massive mouth and held him with his tongue. The alien begins leaping off swiftly. Itachi rushes towards it. He was intent on saving his brother.

Itachi flies into the toad and slashes it with his talons. The BufoBufoian didn't care for that. It roared in anger and caught the elder Uchiha brother with his massive tongue. Now the human brothers were both being carried off by the BufoBufoian.

"SASUKE!" Naruto cries out in horror and flies after the toad furiously.

"ITACHI!" Gaara joins his friend in his pursuit.

It was too late though. The toad jumped through a stargate and a large group of other BufoBufoians quickly slam into it. They cause it to come crashing down.

* * *

A few seconds later, everyone else catches up. Madara and Izuna stare wide eyed at the broken stargate. Kisame was still staring at it in shock. He couldn't believe that had happened.

"I'm so sorry. We'll get them back though. Surely, we'll be able to figure out where the Stargate led to!" He tries to comfort the distraught Mates of the humans.

Naruto takes out his AFC. The Allied Forces Communicator quickly gets in touch with his parents. The blonde was too frantic to be coherent though. Thankfully, Madara was.

"Itachi and Sasuke have been captured by a BufoBufoian. The beast hopped through a Stargate. Some other toads broke the Stargate to keep us from being able to follow. Here are the cords to the Stargate. We need a location. We will just have to sail manually." He explains.

"Oh baby! I'm so sorry about your Mate. Don't worry. We will find out where that Stargate leads. We'll get them both back. That goes for you as well Gaara. I'm so sorry." Kushina says in a rush.

Minato frantically enters the data for that Stargate on stage. He blinks when he saw what planet they went to. Kodai.

"They took them to Kodai. I can't imagine why. That planet is nothing but cliffs and oceans." Minato says after a minute.

Izuna blinks. Kodai was one of the oldest planets ever discovered. It was inhabitable, but not a place that anyone wanted to live. It was so gloomy. Legends said that was the planet where Kaguya went to mourn when her Mate rejected her for her bloodthirsty ways.

"Kodai? Are you certain?" He asks and the King nods.

"Well we are going to fucking Kodai now. How far away is it?!" Naruto asks.

"Our ships are some of the fastest in the universe. If we take the wormhole two days." Gaara says.

"Well then let's take the wormhole!" The blonde snaps.

Gaara normally wouldn't go through a wormhole. They were unpredictable, but he couldn't risk going the long way. That would take a week. Even two days was too long. Who knew what would happen to their beloved Mates in that time?!

"Good luck, son." Minato and Kushina say as they quickly rush back to the ship and take off.

"Kodai. This is insane. That's practically a wasteland." Kiba mutters and braces himself as he got on the warship.

* * *

Elsewhere the BufoBufoian emerges out of the Stargate. Kaguya walks over to the largest beast. She instructs him to release "Izuna."

The massive toad spits out Itachi and Izuna. She blinks. Kaguya hadn't expected two have two of them captured.

"Izuna, we meet face to face at last. Who is your companion?" She asks.

Sasuke stares at the woman in awe and horror. She was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Her long hair was the lightest shade of blue possible and impossibly straight. Not a single strand was out of place.

The Jinchuuriki's strange appearance didn't stop at her hair though. Her skin was pure white. It was like she had no blood flowing through her veins. The aliens eyes were an inhuman mixture of lavender and silver and so cold. She had a vertical Sharingan on her forehead and ruby red lips, the only real color on her face. Her talons were also the sharpest that he had ever seen.

"I'm not Izuna." Sasuke protests.

"Do not lie to me. I recognize my descendant. Your companion, he smells like our Clan as well." She muses and circles them.

Sasuke almost wished that she had the traditional markings around her eyes like most of her kind. It would have made her seem a little less terrifying. Her face was almost completely devoid of color and fully absent of emotion.

"Sasuke, stay still." Itachi whispers and his brother nods in agreement.

Instinctively, both brothers knew that they were dealing with someone who was dangerous. Dangerous even by alien standards. Neither of them knew what she wanted or where they were. Quite simply, it was a blood chilling experience.


	24. Our Psychotic Ancestor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rescue mission is mounted while Sasuke and Itachi try to survive being in Kaguya's clutches. The Hyuga Sisters continue to battle their tormentors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Sasuke briefly considers lying to this strange being that was currently circling him and Itachi as if she was a shark. Maybe if she really thought that he was Izuna, the alien wouldn't kill them. He dismisses the thought.

Izuna was a legendary Jinchuuriki warrior. He just wasn't. Sasuke could fly well enough, throw fire, and activate his Sharingan. The youngest Uchiha just couldn't compete with his ancestor's skill level enough to be believable. She would want proof of his abilities. He could see it in her eyes.

"I'm not Izuna. This is a misunderstanding." Sasuke insists.

"Your scents are both Uchiha, yet so foreign at the same time. You aren't even Jinchuuriki, are you?" She demands in a tone that was torn between curiosity and fury.

It was almost as if their species was a personal offense to her. The woman had a Sharingan on her forehead. A really creepy version of it, but a Sharingan. She must be another ancestor, Itachi thought.

That didn't mean much though. She hardly seemed in the mood to bake them cookies like a good "grandmother" might. The elder brother frowns as he tries to think of a way to get them out of this alive.

"That's right. We are not Jinchuuriki. It's a very long story. It doesn't matter though. Whatever quarrel you might have with our ancestors, has nothing to do with us. My brother and I simply wish to return to Konoha." Itachi says.

Kaguya looks at them. Hmm yes, there scents were similar. They were similar enough that they could very well be brothers. Descendants?

The ancestor of the Uchiha Clan frowns. That implied a lot of generations separated them and Izuna. Why would his descendant resemble him so greatly? They could have passed for identical twins. No matter. It wouldn't change her plans.

"I suppose that does make sense. I do not detect deception in your scent. How very fortunate. I had thought my family line died out. It seems that was not the case. Perhaps it is fitting that you will both witness the dawning of a new era." She muses.

Sasuke watches her cautiously. She seemed half mad. There was something in the expression of her eyes that he couldn't quite describe. Whatever it was, it made his blood run cold.

Still she was talking. The woman wasn't attacking them. Maybe they could stall her long enough for their Mates to find out where they were and get them out of there.

"New era?" He dares himself to ask.

"Of course. You see the Allied Forces was a good stepping stone, but it is not nearly enough. Konoha has the distinction of being the founding planet, but the powers are distributed fairly evenly amongst it and the other members. Clearly, our species should be the dominant one. There really can only be one apex predator. It is the natural order of things." Kaguya says.

Itachi digests this. Their ancestor wanted to rule the universe. She was possibly insane, but he didn't doubt that she was powerful. There way that the air crackled with chakra around her alone, was enough to tell him that.

"We really just want to get back to our Mates. That's all." Sasuke says.

"Oh yes, I saw you with your Mate. Aren't you the clever one? Seducing a prince. And I believe you landed yourself a Kage?" Kaguya inquires.

Itachi didn't really know what to say to that. The woman believed they had Mated for political power. Maybe it was best to just let her harbor that delusion? She seemed to approve of that tactic.

"Yes, I did. We wish to get back to them." He says.

"Mmm I certainly can understand that. I had a Mate once. He died of old age. He and I did not see eye to eye on certain matters. He refused to drink from the pool. My Mate was a wonderful man, but a fool." She mutters in disgust.

Sasuke blinks. Uh oh. She had lost her Mate. That had driven Madara to insanity for a thousand years. If she was the ancestor of Madara and Izuna, that meant she was even older than him. They were dealing with a very psychotic heartbroken alien here.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I don't know what I would do, if I lost Naruto." He offers.

"Thank you, but you need not look at me that way. It was a long time ago. I'll admit that I was sad at first. Then I got angry. Now I understand. There will always be those who are simply too tender hearted to do what needs to be done. My Mate was one of them. It is a pity, but nothing can be done about it now." She muses.

Itachi was almost afraid to ask, but he knew he had to. He summons up all his courage to ask. He needed to know what that pool did.

"What does the pool do exactly?" He questions.

In a flash, Itachi was shoved up against the wall. Kaguya's talons on her hands were wrapped around his throat. Sasuke watches in horror.

"You are quite the inquisitive one. You must have some scholar in you. Well I suppose there's no harm telling you. You are of my blood, after all. If you tell anyone else, I will just put a Gastropoda on you. Tell me, do you know what a Gastropoda is?" She purrs into his ear in a voice that was deceptively seductive.

Sasuke gulps. Shit! She was threatening to put a mind controlling slug into Itachi's ear. That was not good. Where were Naruto, Gaara, Madara, and Izuna?! They needed them here right now.

"Yes, I know what a Gastropoda is." Itachi answers, thankful that his voice didn't shake as he replied.

"Good. Now then, let's be friends. I'm pleased that my line didn't die out after all. I am immortal. So I do not need heirs, but even I can not manage the entire universe at once. I will need Governors of course. Perhaps if you are both good Hatchlings, I might allow you to choose your own corner of the universe. Wouldn't that be something?" She asks as if suddenly delighted by this possibility.

Sasuke and Itachi look at each other. There was no doubt about it. This woman was insane. Not heartbroken/pervert Madara insane. She was more like serial killer insane.

"That would be certainly be something. Though where I come from, friends don't wrap their talons around their friend's throat." Itachi says gently.

"Mmm I suppose that's true. You'll have to excuse me. I haven't had friends in a very long time. I'm afraid that my manners may have suffered as a result. As for your question, that pool allows me to see any section of the universe I want, as long as I use my chakra to manipulate it in the correct way. I also drink from it." She begins.

Somehow Sasuke doubted that was all that it did. That was a useful ability, though he didn't think it was one that she would kill for. No. There had to be more.

"It has also given me immortality. Though I wouldn't recommend you or your brother drinking from it. You'd likely both be killed instantly. Neither of you have the chakra control necessary to survive." She says with a far too cheerful smile plastered on her face.

Itachi's eyes widen. Immortality. That couldn't possibly be true, could it? He knew that Jinchuuriki could slow the aging process tremendously, but that was a far cry from being immortal. He exchanges horrified looks with Sasuke.

"I can see why you would be anxious to protect such an amazing find." Itachi offers.

He could only hope that he and Sasuke could stall this psychotic woman long enough for their Mates to reach them. If what she said was true, there was no telling what sort of weapons she had in her arsenal. He doubted his water or Sasuke's fire would defeat her.

* * *

Elsewhere the princesses were struggling against the slugs. They knew that they had to free themselves. A war was going on down below them.

**"I have just received orders from Kaguya. She has instructed us to kill the princesses. They have served their purpose and are being too difficult to justify keeping them."** Danzo informs one of the slugs.

**_"Very well."_** Another replies and forces Hinata to grab a knife.

Hinata fights with it. She was desperately trying to keep the knife away from her heart. The Gastropoda was fighting her tooth nail and claw though. Slowly the knife was beginning to inch closer and closer.

Hanabi's eyes widen. In a desperate attempt to save her sister she manages to wrest the knife out of the elder princess's hand. She hisses in pain when the edge cuts into her hand, but sighs in relief when she manages to fling it far away.

"Thank you." Hinata whispers briefly before her eyes glaze over.

"LEAVE US ALONE, YOU FILTHY SLUGS!" Hanabi snarls in rage.

**_"One would think that princesses would have better manners. Filthy slugs? Tsk tsk. I think I'm going to enjoy this. Perhaps I should just force you to jump overboard and wiggle out at the last second. The look of agony on your face would be quite delightful, I'm certain."_** Hanabi's Gastropoda taunts her.

Hanabi slowly started towards the exit of the ship. If she took even ten steps, she would fall to her death. With every step, it was clear that the feline princess was fighting for her life. Her walk was agonizingly slow and jerky.

"I WON'T LET YOU KILL HER!" Hinata cries out and manages to slam herself onto her sister.

The Hyuga women were only a few inches away from falling out into space. The fight with each other viciously. Hanabi had clearly lost control. Hinata didn't to kill her sister, but she didn't want to be beaten to death either.

A flurry of kicks, punches, and bites were exchanged. They rolled with each other. Each vying for dominance in an extremely vicious cat fight.

Hinata screams in pain when she felt like her brain was next to a fire. In her desire to save her sister, she had overpowered the Gastropoda inside her head. He was frying. The slug slithers out of her ear and onto the floor.

The bluenette jumps off Hanabi and quickly squashes it underneath the heel of her shoe. The thrill of victory did not last long though. Her sister was soon on her with a vengeance.

"HANABI! STOP IT! IT'S ME! YOUR SISTER! YOU CAN OVERPOWER IT! I KNOW YOU CAN!" She screams out and tries desperately to shield her face from the younger princess's wicked claws.

Hanabi could hear her sister's cries. It was just so hard to get her body to listen to her mind. She manages to slow her attacks somewhat. It was enough for Hinata to gain the edge.

Her elder sister manages to pin her. Hinata was older. She was simply bigger than Hanabi and had the edge when it came to raw strength.

"FIGHT IT!" Hinata hisses at her sister.

By this time the guards and pilots realized something was going on. They lunged at the sisters. Their lasers were drawn and ready for a kill shot.

It was at that moment that Hanabi screamed in agony. Her head felt hot. So hot! A slug slinked away from her. The young princess snarls and crushes it.

"Hanabi! You're back!" Her sister cries out joyfully and Hanabi nods a bit in a daze.

"Yeah. We are in trouble." Hanabi says as she pushes Hinata to the floor.

The two sisters narrowly avoid being blasted by the lasers. This wasn't good. They were outnumbered and outgunned, but at least they were in control of their own minds again.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto, Gaara, Izuna, Madara, Kiba, and Kisame was still flying towards the ancient planet. The two Mates were half mad with worry. Frankly, the rest of the motley crew was a bit nervous to go anywhere near them.

"We know where they are. We will find a way to get them back." Izuna tries to reassure them.

"We had better!" The Kazekage and Prince snap at the elderly alien.

Izuna sighs. He knew what it was to be anxious for your Mate's safety. He had lost his Mate. That was not pain that he would wish on anyone. Still they were not helping the situation.

If they were going to rescue Itachi and Sasuke, they would need to keep their wits about them. Why the BufoBufoian had grabbed Sasuke was unclear. Izuna doubted it was a coincidence that Sasuke had been the one to get grabbed. Itachi had just been trying to rescue his brother and been taken along for the ride.

"Calm yourself. We understand your fears perfectly, but they will not help either of your Mates." Madara snaps at them.

"As always brother, you are such a soothing voice in trouble times. Really, you do have a way with words. It's uncanny." Izuna snaps at him.

He had been thinking the same thing. But Izuna never would have said it so bluntly. Then again, this was Madara. Madara operated under different standards than most people.

"Oh stop coddling them. We'll be at the wormhole soon. You'll just have to have faith in your Mates. We have been training them. At the very least they know how to fly and use their affinities to varying degrees." The eldest Uchiha points out.

Gaara gives Madera a dirty look. That was supposed to comfort them? Sasuke and Itachi knew as much about their abilities as a five or ten year old hatchling. Whoever had abducted clearly had the BufoBufoians under their control. He doubted that such an opponent would be so easily defeated.

"QUIET!" Naruto thunders at Madara.

"Oh the little prince is getting bossy. That's adorable. Really. Do you think that I care about your pedigree, Hatchling? I do not." The spiky haired man bellows right back at him.

Kisame smacks his forehead. He got it. Tensions were running high. But with the way they were carrying on, they were all surely heading straight towards their deaths. Any enemy worth their salt, would be able to tell they were not a cohesive unit.

"KNOCK IT OFF! ALL OF YOU! If you want to save the brats, we are going to have to work together." Kisame howls at them.

Kiba nods in agreement. He hoped that they could do it. He couldn't imagine how Naruto would function without his Mate. Jinchuuriki Mating bonds were absolutely legendary in their intensity.

It was sad that a Jinchuuriki would go mad, if their Mate died. The Inuzuka was not eager to find out if that was indeed the case. He could only pray that they weren't too late.

"That's the wormhole!" Naruto calls out a short while later.

He stares at it. It was his only hope of saving Sasuke and Itachi. He just hoped they weren't too late. Even with the wormhole, it would take time to get to them.

Gaara was having similar thoughts. What if Itachi and Sasuke were already dead? That couldn't be true, could it? Surely, they would have felt the loss of their connection if that was the case. Wouldn't they?

"Alright, brats. Hold on tight. This is going to be a very bumpy ride." Kisame warns them and they all prepare to do exactly that.

* * *

Meanwhile back on Konoha, Minato paces. He had summoned up his most elite advisors. Their was a very real chance that they would end up going to war. He needed counsel.

The blonde king had never been more grateful to have a faithful Mate by his side. He didn't know what he would have done without Kushina. Their son was currently trying to rescue his kidnapped Mate. That was a horrifying reality.

"We believe the Gastropoda have infected the BufoBufoians. We doubt that they are going to stop there. We sent my son, his Mate, the Kazekage, Kisame, Kiba, and Gaara's Mate off to catch a BufoBufoian. Our desire is to starve a Gastropoda out of it and see what is really going on. Unfortunately, Sasuke was kidnapped during this attempt." Minato explains.

"That's horrible. You have our deepest sympathies." His advisers all say in a chorus.

Kushina twitches. Their deepest sympathies?! Were they completely out of their minds?! As if that was going to help get their son's Mate back! They needed to DO something. Not sit around and feel sorry for each other.

"WE ARE POSSIBLY AT WAR AND TRYING TO SAVE MY SON'S MATE AND THAT'S ALL THAT YOU HAVE TO SAY?! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU PEOPLE?!" Their Queen demands.

The advisers all quickly shirk back. Their Queen was a kind woman, but she had a Hell of a temper. There was a fairly decent chance she might actually have a go at them.

"My love, yelling at them isn't going to help our son." Minato whispres.

"I know. I just feel so helpless. What are we supposed to do?" She asks.

"We will send another mission to capture a BufoBufoian. We need to talk to one of the Gastropodas and starving one out seems to be the best chance of doing that." He says.

The advisers nod in agreement. Their King was right. There really was only one thing that they could do. It was vital to gather more information.

"Won't whoever is behind this, expect one of our ships though?" An advisor inquires.

"That's a good point. We need to send someone who isn't from Konoha. Even another member of the Allied Forces might be too suspicious." The King concedes.

Kushina pauses. Hmm they needed to send someone to catch a giant toad, that wasn't a member of the Allied Forces. Well Sasuke had hatched one of Aoda's hatchlings. He might be willing to do it.

"We should speak with Aoda. I'm certain that he can capture eat least one BufoBufoian. Our people have had hostile relations for centuries. Whoever is behind this would never expect a Serpente." She suggests.

"My love, that is absolutely brilliant. I shall get in touch with him immediately." Minato says as he takes out the AFC.

"Aoda, can you hear me?" He asks into the device.

It takes a minute. It was fairly obvious that the massive snake wasn't used to receiving many calls from the Allied Forces. But mercifully, he does answer.

"Yes, I can hear you. What is the problem? You sound rather distressed." The reptile inquires.

Aoda had heard of the King of Konoha. From what little he knew of the man, he never lost his composure. That was more his Mate's style. Something serious had to be going on, for him to be panicking so much.

"It's a long story. We sent a team to capture a BufoBufoians. We wanted to starve a Gastropoda out of it. Sasuke was a member of that team. He and his brother have been kidnapped. My son and the rest of the crew are currently launching a rescue mission. But we still need a BufoBufoian. They will be expecting Konoha or Allied Forces Ships. They would not expect a Serpente's ship." The King answers him.

Aoda frowns. The Jinchuuriki was asking for help in capturing a BufoBufoian. That much was obvious. He wasn't entirely certain how to respond.

"If it will help Sasuke, I will assist you in this matter. I owe him my Hatchling's life. Though I would appreciate discretion. My people would understand why I would help you, but they still wouldn't be happy about it." He says.

"I understand completely. Rest assured, I have no intentions of making this widely known. So you will assist us?" The other alien inquires nervously.

"Yes, I will. I'll leave immediately. I regret that I could not go on this rescue mission. I suppose time was of the essence though, but I shall help him in this way. He saved my son's life. When I capture a BufoBufoian, I will fly towards your planet. You will need to warn your people not to shoot my ship down." The serpent points out.

Minato nods. That much was obvious. It wasn't every day that you saw a Serpente ship over the skies of Konoha. The natural impulse would be to shoot the "hostile" species down.

His people were still unaware of what had really caused the tension between the races. Mentally Minato sighs. He was going to have to explain that to the people of Konoha one day, but right now there were more pressing issues to address.

"I will do so now. Good luck. May this be the beginning of improving relations between our people." The King says.

"I don't know how much hope I have for relations to really improve, but good luck to you as well. I can only imagine the agony you must feel. I would tear apart the universe to find my own Hatchling and their Mate." Aoda offers.

"Of course." Minato agrees and hangs up.

Kushina looks at her Mate in disbelief. He had just made a deal with a Serpente. Well desperate times called for desperate measures, she supposed. Still she never thought she would see the day when giant talking snakes were the good guys.

"Well that went well. What else do we know?" The red head asks.

"Not much. We know what planet that they are going to. But it's really out of the way. We'd never get there in time. I'm not even certain Naruto's ship will get there in time and they are taking a wormhole." He admits.

The Queen sighs. She couldn't believe that they were so helpless. There was precious little they could do at the moment but wait. By Kyubbi, she hated waiting. She had never been the most patient woman and that certainly didn't help in situations like this.

"So we can't do anything to help our son?" She asks mournfully.

"We gave him the location of where his Mate was taken. The rest is in his hands now, I'm afraid." Minato says and he holds Queen in his arms.

He wanted to comfort her. Minato wanted to tell her that everything would be alright. The alien king didn't know if that was the truth though. He had never lied to the beautiful red head before and he wasn't about to start doing so now.

"I guess you're right." She says with a heavy sigh.

Two days. Even if they used the wormhole, it would take them two days to get the human brothers. That was more than long enough for their kidnapper to kill them.

She winces as she imagines her only child's absolute anguish, if his Mate were to perish. It was unthinkable. If Naruto somehow managed to keep his sanity, he would be a broken man. He'd never be the same.

"We've done all that we can." Minato says and kisses her cheek.

The Queen nods. She leans back into her Mate's comforting embrace. She knew that he was right, but that didn't make it any easier to bare.

"How did it come to this?" Kushina whispers.

"I don't know, my love. I don't know. But rest assured, that if anyone can rescue Sasuke and Itachi, it is most certainly our son." He says with a smile.

The red head nods. Now they just needed to rescue the brothers and try to prevent an all out war. The goals were simple and easily understood. Accomplishing them though, was anything but.

"That's true. Naruto has worked many miracles in the past. I only hope that his luck hasn't run out this time. Sometimes I swear that boy has more lives than a Hyuga." She muses.

"That's true. I have wondered that myself sometimes." Minato agrees with his beloved Mate and sighs as they wait for news about the rescue attempt.


	25. The Battle for Survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke and Itachi try to distract Kaguya as the battle against time and the Gastropoda heat up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Aoda quickly heads to Sage. Sasuke had saved one of his Hatchlings form certain death. The least he could do was catch a BufoBufoian in exchange.

**_"Kill him! You know those filthy snakes want nothing more than to take over your planet."_** The Gastropoda hisses to the BufoBufoian that he was currently on.

Of course, the mighty Serpentes couldn't hear this conversation. Still he didn't miss the fact that the giant amphibian was lunging at him. Aoda quickly dodges. He might be enormous, but he was nimble.

"I would rather not have to kill you. If you surrender now, you have my word that no harm will come to you." He states.

"DIE! YOU FILTHY SNAKE!" The toad snarls at Aoda as he thrusts his impossibly long tongue at him.

"No. I don't think that I will. Honestly, why do BufoBufoians never have any manners? Filthy snake? Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" He demands as he bites down on the tongue that had wrapped itself around the length of his body.

He hears the BufoBufoian cry out in agony. The serpent smirks when he felt himself being released. Acting quickly, he slams the full weight of his body into the other alien. This stuns the beast long enough to allow Aoda to do it again and again.

"That's better." He mutters as he picks up the massive toad in his mouth and slithers back to his ship.

He moves as fast as he could. The sounds of their struggle had attracted the some other BufoBufoians. Aoda knew that that if he didn't get back to that ship fast, he was a goner.

"SAFE! Alright, Captain! Take us away." He calls out as he lunges into the ship and uses his tail to shut the door behind him.

The other Serpente nods and they soon take off. Aoda had brought one of his many children to man the ship while he caught the BufoBufoian. He was now glad he did as his son flies them off.

The enormous reptile carries the BufoBufoian in his jaws towards a holding cell. He quickly releases him and puts him in lock down. There that ought to keep him until they got back to Konoha.

"I never thought that I would see the day, where I was helping Jinchuuriki." He mutters to himself.

Life could be strange sometimes, he muses. Hopefully, they would be able to get some information out of the damn slug. He just hoped that they weren't too late to save Sasuke and Itachi.

"Father, we'll be back at Konoha in approximately one day." He hears his son, Jacoba, call out.

"Excellent news. Is there any way we can get there faster though?" Aoda inquires as he slithers over to sit next to the other Serpentes.

"I could get us there in half a day, but it would mean we would have to fly through an Asteroid Belt." Jacoba replies.

Aoda frowns. It was risky, but unfortunately time was of the essence. They didn't have any other choice.

"Do it. We must make all haste." He says.

"Alright, father. Hold on tight. This is going to be a very bumpy ride." His son warns him as guides the ship towards the Asteroid Belt.

* * *

Meanwhile the Hyuga Princesses were currently fighting for their lives. Thankfully, they were free now. Both had been trained since birth for battle, despite the Allied Forces having ensured the peace for a thousand years.

"TAKE THIS! REOW!" Hanabi snarls as she slices one of the hosts with her vicious claws.

Hinata felt a moment of pity. Whoever was hosting the Gastropida likely didn't have any control over what they were doing. Still they had to defeat them and warn the Inuzukas and Hyugas what was really happening. They had a war to stop!

Soon it was a flurry of claws, teeth, and lasers being fired. It was complete chaos. Hinata narrowly manages to avoid getting hit by a laser and swipes the legs out from underneath one of the hosts. She quickly knocks him out.

"Hanabi, try to disable them instead of killing them." She says.

"Are you crazy?! They kidnapped us! Now is not the time to be nice. Now is the time to fight for our lives and tell our people what is going on! We can't hold back!" Her sister protests.

"Hanabi, if we kill innocent people for no reason, we are no better than them." Hinata points out as she slams her elbow into one of the guards.

Another guard smirks. He lunges at the sisters when he realizes they were distracted by their discussion. At the last second when he jumped on Hinata, she slams a dagger through his chest, killing him instantly.

Her eyes widen in horror when she feels the blood gush from the wound onto her. She felt him slump against her body lifelessly and his eyes dimmed. Hinata realizes at that moment that she had just killed a man.

"What was that about not killing them?" Her sister asks.

"I didn't have a choice!" The elder princess says in an annoyed voice as they continue their vicious battle.

Hanabi spins around fast and her fists go flying. It creates something of a shield around her because she was moving just too fast to get a good pin on her. Her feet and hands begin working on knocking out anyone that came too close to her.

"Too bad for you pretty kitties. Looks like your nine lives are about to run out." A host says as he fires off his laser towards the sisters.

Hinata slams into him from the side, knocking him to the ground. She quickly jabs him to the throat in a way that she knew would render someone of his species unconscious. Damn it. They would be lucky to get out of this alive.

"Grab his laser! That will make this much easier!" Her sister calls out desperately.

"Right!" The older princess calls out as she grabs his gun.

She quickly hit's the STUN setting and fires off several shots. If they were going to help the rest of the Hyugas and Inuzukas, they had to win this battle and quickly. Thousands, maybe tens of thousands of lives could hang in the balance for every minute they delayed.

"Big sister, can you fly this ship?" Hanabi asks nervously.

"I can fly it well enough to land it. That's about it really." Her sister admits.

"That's good enough. Hurry!" The younger princess shouts and Hinata wastes no time in racing into the control room.

She quickly sets about landing the ship. It wasn't easy. Her hands were still shaking from the knowledge that she had just killed someone. Somehow, she manages and the sisters get off of the vessel.

"We have to get to the palace. That will be the easiest place to broadcast the message from. Otherwise, we are just screaming on the battlefield to anyone who will listen." The young feline alien reasons.

Hinata nods. The two sisters run towards the castle. On the way there, they saw the complete carnage of the battlefield. Hinata winces. The soil was purple and green with blood.

Hyugas didn't bleed red like humans. Inuzukas didn't either. Their blood was green. There was a lot of blood on the grass. From what the sisters could tell it looked like the casualty rates were about even between the Hyugas and Inuzukas.

"There are so many bodies." Hanabi notes in a horrified tone.

"Yes, we have to act quickly." Hinata says as they try desperately to reach the palace.

* * *

Elsewhere Sasuke and Itachi watch their ancestor warily. This woman was truly insane. Itachi couldn't voice his theory out loud, but he suspected it had something to do with the pool she was drinking from. That might not only be extending her life, but also shredding her mind.

"It does please me that my line is still such an attractive one after all these years." She muses.

"Thank you?" They both say uncertainly.

She nods as she waits for a report from the Gastropoda. Kaguya frowns as she realizes that the report was late. Very late. Something must have gone wrong.

**_"Danzo, where are you?! Report to me immediately."_** She demands.

The Jinchuuriki growls when there was no answer. If she knew one thing about that slug, it was that he was a power climber. He would never miss an opportunity to kiss up. Danzo certainly would never intentionally ignore her communications.

"The princesses must have found a way to take control of that ship. DAMN IT." The terrifying beauty snarls her displeasure and slams her fist into a beautiful glass chalice.

The chalice goes flying straight against the cliff. It crashes and shatters into thousands of pieces, but most disturbingly of all was what happened when the liquid touched the stone. There clearly had been pool water inside it. The "water" had a strong acidic property. It literally melted a hole in solid stone!

Sasuke's eyes widen. She was drinking a substance that could melt through solid stone. He didn't think that was normal, even by alien standards. He looks at Itachi with terrified eyes.

"Mmm I see that you realize now why it would be a very bad idea for you to drink from the pool." She says slyly and with a cold smirk.

"Yes, we do appreciate the warning. Tell us more about these possible Governor positions?" Itachi inquires.

Maybe if he could get her talking, they could stall for time. Their Mates might find them. He knew that was a gamble. Assuming that they were even found, that didn't mean that they could defeat this psychotic alien bitch from Hell.

"Oh you will be given your own galaxy to monitor. Of course you'll receive a salary and a palace. That's only proper. We can't have a Governor of mine living like a pauper." The light haired alien replies.

"Of course." Itachi agrees.

Sasuke nods in agreement. They had to keep this insane alien busy long enough for their Mates to arrive. The youngest Uchiha longed for simpler days. Back before they had discovered their crazy ancestor was trying to take over the world and before she had kidnapped them. Things had been much easier back then.

He just barely manages to suppress a snort of amusement at that thought. It was funny. Who would have ever thought that he would consider the day he meet an alien to be a 'simpler time?' But it was true.

_He remembered asking if Naruto was his name. The alien had called out his. Then Naruto had kissed him. At first, he had been worried that the alien was trying to give him some sort of disease or wanted to attack him. That hadn't been the case at all. The way Naruto moved his lips against his, was far too affectionate to be anything other than a kiss._

_"You're beautiful. That's the easiest way for my species to acquire another language, mouth to mouth contact. We also kiss as your kind do, to give pleasure. That's what the lights and sensations were. They were just me absorbing your words." The blonde said once he broke the kiss._

_"If you knew that you could "acquire" our language that easily, why didn't you do it before?" Sasuke asked._

_"Well I figured that it was polite to let them run their tests. They wanted to make sure that I wasn't carrying pathogens or diseases. So I just kinda went with it. That and my kind prefer to kiss others that they find attractive, just like yours does." The alien answered._

_That was the day that Sasuke's life changed forever. The day that he met Naruto and suddenly realized that the universe was a lot more crowded than they he had ever originally thought. It was also the day that he learned aliens preferred to kiss people they found hot, when given a choice._

"It will be difficult at first. People will naturally try to reject our rule. We will force them to see reason eventually. Either through logic or by showing them our true might." Kaguya continues.

"As would be expected of any apex predator." Sasuke says once he snaps out of his memory enough to listen to what was going on.

"Exactly." Kaguya smirks as if she was delighted that her descendants understood her plans.

* * *

At that same moment, the rescuers were currently flying towards the ancient planet. The closer they got, the more anxious everyone became. This was especially true when it came to Naruto and Gaara.

"Do you think they are still alive?" Kiba asks.

"You idiot. If you ask a question like that again, I will gag you. You don't say that to two panicking Mates." Madara growls at the canine alien.

Kiba gulps. He wisely retreats further back into the ship. The last thing he wanted to do was to incur the wrath of the ancient warrior. He would very much like to live to see his next birthday. Thank you very much.

"It's alright. He's just asking the question that is on all of our minds." Naruto says somberly.

Gaara sighs and nods his head. Their Mates had to be okay. Surely, they were still alive. If they had died, wouldn't they have felt the severed connection of their bond?

"All we can do is hope, but I think they are still alive. I don't feel any different. I mean we should feel SOMETHING, if our Mates died. Right?" The young prince asks in an almost desperate voice.

"That's what I'm hoping." Gaara admits.

They had to be alright. The red head couldn't imagine life without his Mate. His knowing smile. The taste of his kiss. The sounds he made as they Mated. His sharp wit. All of that and more, he would lose if Itachi was slain by his kidnapper. It was an unbearable thought.

Gaara might not be particularly fond of Madara, but he could understand him a little better now. The Kazekage was certain he would go mad without his lover. Truly, it was a test of his sanity to keep composed enough to fly the ship.

"Gaara, are you certain that you are feeling well enough to fly? I can handle it. It is no trouble." Izuna asks gently.

The Kage bites his lower lip. On one hand, he knew more about the modern ship than Izuna. On the other, his mind wasn't nearly as focused as it should be. Perhaps the older alien might be able to fly them there faster than he could. Maybe they would fly the ship equally fast.

He just knew that wouldn't be a good idea for him to continue flying. If Gaara kept at it, he might lose whatever fragile grip he had on his self-control and they might end up crashing somewhere in the wormhole. Then they would never rescue Itachi and Sasuke. That was unthinkable.

"Yes, perhaps that would be for the best." He concedes and moves out of the way.

Izuna nods. He quickly gets into position and begins flying the ship. This ship was more advanced than the ones he had flown. That was only to be expected. It had been a long time since he had flown for the Allied Forces, but the basics were still the same. He could manage this.

The red head quickly departs for his room. If his crew members saw him like this, it would only serve to make them even more anxious. That simply wouldn't do.

It was possible that he could lose everything. He might lose Itachi. A chance to ever have hatchlings and most importantly of all, their future together. They were so close and yet so far. There was no telling what had been done to the younger Uchiha brothers. They might very well arrive only to find out they were too late.

"You got this?" Naruto asks Izuna and he nods.

"I think I can manage this. Even if I can't, I know that Kisame and Kiba should be able to help me. You should go and offer comfort to your friend. The two of you are suffering horribly. Perhaps a friendly ear would be beneficial to both of you." Izuna reasons.

"Yeah. Thanks. I'm going to go and try to talk to him." Naruto says as he follows Gaara.

* * *

The blonde sighs when he finds the Kazekage pacing in his room. It was just like Gaara to suffer in silence. The man definitely lived by the motto of _take one for the team._

"Gaara, I know what you are feeling. I'm here for you. We are almost there. I'm sure if our bond was broken, we would feel it. There's still a chance that we will find them. Hold onto that hope. You'll drive yourself crazy, if you don't." The warrior tells him.

"I know. I have to stay strong. It's just hard. We can't do anything to help them until we get to that damn planet." He mutters.

Naruto nods. He understood exactly where the other man was coming from. He was going mad worrying about Sasuke.

Kyuubi, he missed his Mate. He missed the way that Sasuke seemed to absorb every scrap of information he was given. He missed the way that they would tease each other. Most of all, he missed the way that they would make love and hold each other afterwards. He'd settle for fluffing, honestly. He just wanted him back!

"We'll be there soon. Don't worry. We got this." Naruto says with far more confidence than he felt.

* * *

Back on the ancient planet, the human brothers watched every move their ancestor made warily. There was no telling what might provoke her to violence. If that water could melt through solid stone, who knew what sort of effects it might have in the mind?

"It seems that I will have to leave you for a few moments. Two very naughty kittens have been giving my followers trouble. I will have to deploy reinforcements. I shall be back shortly to continue our conversation." Kaguya informs them as she walks off.

Sasuke and Itachi wait a few moments to make sure she was really gone. They both let out a sigh of relief. At least for the moment they were safe. Though they didn't know how long this new luck would hold out.

"She's psychotic." Sasuke mutters.

"Likely from a combination of a broken heart and whatever is in that water." Itachi agrees.

"They'll find us. I know they will." His brother says in an effort to convince himself as much as Itachi.

Itachi nods his head. In reality, he was anything but certain. Still he wasn't going to tell Sasuke that. They both needed to keep their wits about them. That was the only way they were going to survive.

"We just have to keep her talking. That's our best shot. The more time we can buy for them to find us, the better." His brother replies.

He sighs and wishes his Mate was here. He missed his red head. Mentally, he slaps himself for wasting so much time. Itachi had been so cautious about Mating with Gaara.

The engineer should have just listened to his heart instead of being too scared to dive in. All he had now were memories of their time together and the hope that the Kazekage would find them before it was too late.

"Yeah. You're right. Maybe they'll find us while she's out sending out reinforcements." He mutters.

"Sasuke, we aren't that lucky and you know it." Itachi notes in amusement.

"It was worth a try? A guy can hope, can't he?" Came Sasuke's reply.

Despite the situation, Itachi found himself laughing. It reminded him of when they were children and Sasuke would try to sneak cookies from the cookie jar. It felt so good to laugh about something. It felt like a lifetime since the last time he had laughed.

"I don't think it was THAT funny." The younger human says and blinks in surprise at Itachi's reaction.

"You're right. It wasn't that funny. It's just, I don't know…I guess I'm starting to lose it a bit." Itachi says with a heavy sigh.

Sasuke gulps. If his brother was snapping, that was not a good sign. Itachi had always been so in control of himself. Sasuke was the hot head, not him.

"Remember, I'm supposed to be the foolish one. Not you." He whispers.

"I'm so glad that you finally realized that after all these years. I suppose it is better late than never." Itachi says with a rueful smile.

* * *

Kaguya growls in her command center. It was impossible to find good help these days. Honestly. They couldn't get any reinforcements to deal with the princesses for three days at the earliest. Damn it.

That wasn't good news at all. The princesses would be able to tell the Hyugas and Inuzukas what was going on in three days. Well that was assuming they didn't become causalities on the battlefield.

"Perhaps I'll have a stroke of good fortune and they will both die before either of them get a chance to inform their kin about what is really going on." She muses to herself.

She shakes her head. If there was one thing she knew about herself, it was that she wasn't that lucky. No, she would just have to operate on the assumption that the felines would warn the others about her plot.

This wouldn't do at all. Now she would be forced to come up with a contingency plan and quickly. Hmm what should she do about this unfortunate situation?

"The Zetsus are nearby and I am allied with them. Yes, I suppose that should cause enough chaos until the reinforcements arrive." She decides and she contacts the Zetsu people.

"I want you to send your finest warriors to the planet where the Inuzuka's live. Your primary goal is to kill the Hyuga Princesses before they can warn their kin about my plans. However, if you can not find them, I want you to cause as much damage as possible. We are trying to provoke a war amongst the Allied Forces. Do you understand?" She demands.

"Yes, I understand. I shall organize an army at once." The black Zetsu replies.

The Zetsu were a race of plant like people. They had two types. The Black and White Zetsus. Loosely speaking, the White Zetsus were considered the females of the species and the more scholarly of the two. The Black Zetsus were considered the males and the more aggressive.

"Good. Time is of the essence. You must move quickly." Kaguya instructs him.

Quite honestly, she couldn't for the life of her tell one Zetsu from another. She supposed it didn't really matter. They made for loyal minions and they would get the job done. That was what really counted.

"Of course, Your Majesty. We will not let you down." He promises.

"Excellent. Now the fun really begins." She smirks as she heads back to her descendants.


	26. Fan My Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Uchihas and their loved ones have their final showdown with Kaguya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. This chapter is action packed. I hope you all like the battle chapter.

"We made it!" Naruto cries out triumphantly after they finally land on the primordial planet where Sasuke and Itachi were being held hostage.

"Thank Kyubbi." Gaara mutters as he rushes off the ship with the blonde prince.

The other members of their crew soon follow suit. Madara and Izuna were looking around warily. This place was so desolate that it gave even them a feeling unease.

"So how are we going to find them?" Kiba asks.

"The Mating Bonds. Now that Naruto and Gaara are on the same planet as them, they should be able to track them. At least that's the way that I'm told it works. The Mating Bond can cover vast distances, but not span across entire galaxies." Kisame observes.

Gaara blinks. He was surprised that Kisame knew that. The Akatsuki had always treated his people's Mating Practices as amusing. He didn't know that the blue alien had actually paid attention to anything he said.

"That's accurate." The red head informs him in a surprised voice.

"Don't look at me like that, Sandy. I'm not a complete prick. I do listen when you talk to me. Oh and I'm not an idiot. I remember stuff too! I might not be a scholar, but I'm not completely hopeless like the mutt over here." Kisame says.

"HEY!" Kiba protests that unfair assessment and the Akatsuki just smirks.

Gaara and Naruto shake their heads as they try to focus on their Mating Bonds to find their lovers. It takes a moment, but they finally manage to lock in on their location. Unfortunately, their Mates were currently feeling rather terrified.

"We found them. I doubt they are alone though. They are too scared for that to be the case." The Kazekage observes.

Gaara and Naruto look at each other. They knew what they had to do. Prince Naruto and the Kazekage had to get to their Mates quickly. There was no time to waste.

"Alright. We need to come up with a plan to rescue them." Izuna says.

It was too late for that though. The Kazekage and Prince Naruto went flying off before the elderly warrior could even finish his sentence. Izuna smacks his forehead in frustration.

"Or they could rush in without any sort of plan and potentially get us all killed. That works too." He mutters in annoyance.

Madara shrugs. It was too late to cry over spilled Ramensa now. He flits off after the two worried Mates. Izuna sighs and follows his brother. It didn't take long for Kisame and Kiba to do the same.

"This is not good." Madara says once they arrive.

He could see his descendants, but he could also see Kaguya. He had no idea how she was still alive. She was far older than he and Izuna were and they were considered quite elderly by Jinchuuriki standards. Yet, she didn't look a day over 300. How was this possible?

"No way. Is that THE Kaguya?" Naruto whispers to Madara in awe.

If Madara and Izuna were considered legends, Kaguya was practically considered a goddess. The prince didn't understand how she was still alive though. She was far older than the elder set of Uchiha brothers and yet she looked so young.

"I believe so. This isn't going to be easy. That woman is a one woman army." He mutters.

Izuna frowns. Something wasn't right. Kaguya couldn't be that young. That's when he saw the pool . Uh oh.

"Whatever you do, don't touch the water in that pool. I believe that is what she has been using to stay young. Humans refer to it as the Fountain of Youth. Of course such things always come with a price. It's likely that it has driven her insane." He explains to the others.

Kiba gulps. Great. So they were dealing with an ancient Jinchuuriki warrior, who had lost her marbles. Lovely, just lovely.

Kaguya smirks. Ah so they had an audience. This could be fun. She pauses and counts the chakra signatures. Four Jinchuuriki, one Akatsuki, and one Inuzuka. Hmm well that was quite the diverse rescue team.

"You know, it's not very polite to spy on people." She says and waves her hand, sending them all flying several feet back and crashing into the cave wall.

Itachi and Sasuke's eyes widen when they saw Kaguya hurl their lovers, ancestors, and friends against the cave wall with just a wave of her hand. It was as if they weighed nothing. Perhaps her power was telekinesis?

"Your Mates are rather lacking in manners. You should speak to them about it. A Prince and a Kazekage should know better." The lavender eyed alien chastises them.

Sasuke just gapes at her. She had just thrown six people against the wall and was lecturing THEM on manners? This alien was truly insane.

"Are you alright?!" Itachi calls out desperately to them.

"We're fine. It's going to take more than that cheap trick to stop me." Naruto growls as he gets up.

Kaguya raises an eyebrow. That was adorable. So the little prince wanted to play? Well she supposed she could indulge him.

"Naruto! Stay away from her! It's not safe!" Sasuke yells.

"Oh I'll be happy to stay away from her, if she lets you and Itachi go. Otherwise no deal." The blonde says as he rushes towards the ancient warrior.

The ethereal woman shakes her head in amusement. She raises her hand and sends Naruto flying backwards. Children were so amusing sometimes.

Sasuke blinks. Her power came from her hands. Maybe if they could disable her hands, it'd be easier. He glances at Itachi.

The younger Uchiha had never been so grateful to have such a perceptive brother. All he had to do was glance at Kaguya's hands and back at Itachi. The engineer nods and they both go flying at Kaguya, with their artificial talons bared.

CRUNCH! SPLASH! BAM! Their talons tore into the fragile flash of her wrist, crunching bone. Her blood splashed onto the ground. Finally, bam was the sound they made when Kaguya elbows both harshly enough in the stomach to smash them against the rocks.

"That was very rude of you. Tsk. Tsk and after I was so nice to you. I was going to let you become Governors. Alright. If that's the way you want it, I suppose I'll just put you both out of your misery. Pity. I would have thought that you would have been smarter than this, as you do have my blood flowing through your veins." She hisses at them.

"Get away from my Mate!" Gaara snarls at her as he darts between the ancient Jinchuuriki and the brothers.

"That's adorable. You two actually think you are a match for me. Perhaps once a long time ago, Madara and Izuna may have presented a mild challenge to me in their youth. But they are old and weak now. Shadows of their former selves. As for you and the prince, you are just children." She smirks and she blinks, sending the red head flying.

"Her power isn't just in her hands!" Izuna calls out.

Kaguya felt herself smirk. It was a shame really. Izuna and Madara were such fine examples of what her bloodline could produce. Unfortunately, they were little more than hallowed out husks now. Pity.

"Perceptive as always. I do find it curious that your descendant looks so much like you, Izuna. I thought he was you. That was why I brought them here. I thought perhaps you had also drunk from the pool." She admits.

"It's not just Jinchuuriki and humans that you have to deal with, you crazy bitch!" Kiba roars as he charges at Kaguya, slamming into her.

His fangs were bared and he was trying to tear her head off. The Inuzuka didn't realize that Kaguya had more than just telekinesis to defend herself with. She also had monstrous strength. A quick kick to his chest, left several of his ribs shattered and the canine alien gasping for breath.

"Oh yes. You're right. That was terribly rude of me. I forgot that they had brought along their pet dog and shark." She says.

"Bitch!" Kiba grunts out as he coughs up blood.

"No, I believe that refers to a female member of your species." She muses.

Madara smirks. He glances at Naruto and looks down at rocks by the blondes feet. He shifts his eyes towards Kaguya. Thankfully, Naruto was able to figure out what the elder alien wanted.

"TAKE THIS!" He roars and summons an mini tornado that sweeps up the rocks and sends them flying at Kaguya.

"Itachi! Her mouth! Aim your water at her mouth!" Sasuke calls out as he summons his fire and hurls a fireball into the tornado.

Itachi didn't understand why Sasuke wanted him to aim his water into their psychotic ancestor's mouth, but he did as told. He glances back at his Mate and saw that the Kage was sending his sand towards the blazing inferno.

Kisame watches warily. He knew what they were trying to do. Naruto was attempting to use his wind to strike Kaguya's eyes with the rocks. Sasuke was using his flames as a distraction. Itachi's water was intended to drown her from the inside out.

"AHHH!" Kaguya hisses in pain and immediately shuts her eyes.

She could manage without her hands, but her eyes were critical. Without her hands, they were the only way she could use her primary method of attack and defense. Being pelted with rocks and feeling the fire lick at her skin was not fun. But as long as she had her eyes, she was confident in her ability to win the battle.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS. NOW YOU WILL ALL DIE!" She snarls and risks opening her eyes long enough to hurl the fiery tornado away from herself, along with the sand and rocks.

Unfortunately, her rage was so great that she forgot about Itachi's water. It slammed into her throat and she finds herself choking on the gush of water. Kisame sees the opportunity and slams into her.

He didn't have any of the flashy powers of the Jinchuuriki, but he did have his strength and teeth. He was going to tear this bitch apart. She had attacked his friends, after all.

Itachi was forced to stop the water flow. He didn't want to risk hitting Kisame. He watches anxiously as the Akatsuki and ancient warrior grappled with each other. The human winces when he saw Kaguya latch her teeth into Kisame's neck and tear out a good chunk of it.

"DAMN YOU!" Kisame snarls in pain and rolls off her.

Kaguya stands up and pants. Damn them. None of them were a match for her individually. She was certain of that, but they were good at using their powers to compliment each other. This could get annoying.

"I've already been damned." She hisses at him in irritation.

"I certainly can't argue with that." Madara taunts her. "You damn, Blossom."

The otherworldly being snarls. How dare, he disrespect her in such a fashion?! That was it! Madara would be the first to die! She lunges at him.

Kaguya would enjoy killing him with her own bare hands. No one insulted her in such a way and got away with it. After all, she was going to be Queen of the Universe. She couldn't tolerate such disrespect!

"Madara, you aren't helping!" Izuna snaps at him.

"Oh be quiet. You know it's an accurate label." Madara smirks and rolls around on the ground with Kaguya.

The woman was positively ancient, but she was far from brittle. The warrior bares his fangs and slams his talons into her. The other Jinchuuriki wouldn't let go though. Her own talons were tearing into Madara with just as much ferocity.

"EXCUSE ME! I'm the only one allowed to kill my brother for being an idiot." Izuna growls as he makes a dive down at Kaguya and slams his talons into her back.

That causes the ancient alien to whirl around and latch slash her fangs across Izuna's throat. Blood pours through the wound. She snarls and uses her telekinesis to send both injured men flying.

"You know, that move is getting old. Really, fucking quickly." Kisame yells at her and charges at the psychotic alien, despite his badly torn neck.

"The feeling is entirely mutual, I assure you." She growls and charges right at Kisame.

Kaguya was badly bloodied with two broken wrists and several gashes from Madara and Izuna's talons. Her fury was enough to make her power through the pain. She was going to kill them all.

"Naruto, fan my flames." Sasuke says as he takes to the air.

The blonde quickly follows his lover to the sky. Itachi gestures at Gaara to follow him, as he ascends as well. The red head quickly follows suit.

"So what's the plan?" Naruto asks Sasuke.

"Since when do you ever worry about having a plan?" The Kazekage asks dryly and the prince shoots him a dirty look for that one.

Sasuke shakes his head. Now wasn't the time for trash talking. They had to deal with his murderous ancestor.

"She's strong. Really strong, but at the moment all she's got is her talons and eyes essentially. We can barrage her and maybe the others will be able to nail her." The youngest Uchiha says.

"In other words, Naruto you fan Sasuke's fire. Gaara and I can flank both of her sides. While Kisame, Kiba, Izuna, and Madara look for an opening." Itachi says and Sasuke nods in agreement.

"You know it's disturbingly hot when you two geek out." Naruto says.

Gaara groans. While that was certainly true, now was not the time to discuss it. He flies off with Itachi.

"Do you think that I would let you plot against me?!" Kaguya thunders at them and blinks her eyes, sending them all hurtling towards the ground.

Thankfully, Gaara's sand caught them in a trampoline. It prevented the foursome from crashing to their death. While Kaguya was distracted, Kiba has another go at her. He takes out his laser and fires it off at her.

"AHHH! YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT! YOU, STUPID DOG!" She hisses at him and turns her attention towards the Inuzuka.

"Kiba, get out of the way!" Gaara warns the Inuzuka.

The canine alien didn't need to be warned twice. He quickly darts out of the way. Sasuke releases his fire and Naruto amplifies it with his wind. It was another inferno. It didn't take Gaara long to come at Kaguya from her left side and Itachi to attack her left with a water dragon.

"You really do have to admire the teammate work. It's touching really." Madara muses as he and Izuna regroup and fly high into the sky, trying to catch their breath.

"Indeed. I have an idea. We dive and rush at her. Shove her into the pool. Get the Kazekage to use his sand to trap her in it. Itachi can probably manipulate the water even with the sand covering it. Drown the bitch." Izuna suggests.

Madara smirks. There was a reason why Izuna was more of a scholar than him. He nods his head in agreement.

"My wings might not be what they once were, but I think I can manage at least one good dive. You?" He asks.

"Pft. You should be more worried about yourself than me." Izuna says as the elder Uchiha brothers dive at full speed.

The Jinchuuriki warriors slam into Kaguya at full force, knocking her into the pool. They knew that they were only going to get one shot. Madara gestures for the others to attack.

Sasuke hurls a fireball at the fallen woman. His intention was to distract her, long enough for Gaara to do his thing. Naruto lends a hand. His wind makes the flames spread wildly.

"Itachi, try to manipulate the water in that pool." Gaara instructs his lover as he hurls his sand towards the fallen woman, who was screaming in agony as she tries desperately to get up.

"Got it!" He says and makes the magical water swirl dangerously around her, trying to drown her.

That combined with the wild flames, meant that Kaguya was struggling for breath and not to be burnt alive. Gaara smirks. He sends his sand at the woman, completely covering the pool with it.

"Sasuke, can you harden it?!" He asks.

"I think I can!" The youngest Uchiha says as he covers the sand in fire, hardening it to the point where it resembled volcanic rock.

Gaara just kept piling more and more sand on it. Sasuke sent his fire, hardening each layer. In the end, Kaguya was buried underneath a small mountain of the volcanic rock.

"Do you think she's really dead?" Naurto pants.

"I don't know." Sasuke replies warily and stares at the mountain cautiously.

The sounds of Kaguya shrieking could be heard for several minutes. Eventually though, the cries grew fainter and fainter. At least, they finally ceased all together.

"Amazing. After all that, I really do think it was the pressure of the mountain that finally ended her. It crushed her to death." Izuna muses.

Sasuke blinks. The weight of the mountain had slowly crushed her to death? That was what was finally killed her? That crazy bitch.

"Let's get back to the ship. We can treat our injuries and head back to Konoha." Kiba suggests.

The wary fighters nod. All of them warily make the journey back to the ship. No one had escaped without an injury, though it was decided Izuna should pilot the ship. He was the one who had the least severe injuries, that knew how to fly it.

"Let's go home." He says once everyone was on the ship and initiates liftoff.

* * *

Meanwhile the Hyuga Princesses were racing towards the Inuzuka castle. It was their only chance. If they wanted to end this war, they had to get to the Command Center of that castle. They had to broadcast the truth.

"SISTER, WATCH OUT!" Hanabi screams as an Inuzuka lunges at Hinata.

Hinata narrowly avoids a sword that would have cut her head off, if she had been just a second or two slower at evasion. Damn it. This was complete madness.

"I don't want to hurt you. Please stand aside." She whispers.

"You sneaky cats. Think you're real smart. Don't ya? Well you showed your true colors now! Attacking an allied planet? That's the lowest you can get." He growls at her.

"It's not like that! We can explain!" Hanabi protests.

The Inuzuka didn't want to hear it though. He lunges again. Hanabi takes out her laser and shoots him with it. The poor canine was knocked unconscious and the sisters continue their desperate race towards the castle.

"Thanks. You really saved my fur back there." Hinata pants out.

"Anytime, big sister. That's what sisters should do. We should protect each other. Hopefully, we make it to see the next sunrise though." She grunts out at the other princess.

Hinata nods. She winces as they vaulted over several corpses. So many lives had been lost and for what? For nothing. Unfortunately, she knew that it was too late for likely thousands of Hyugas and Inuzukas. The only thing the could do now, was to stop the body count from mounting further.

The sisters manage to make it inside the castle. Sadly, the carnage wasn't confined to outside its walls. Inside, there was another blood bath. The floors were slick with blood. It was a struggle not to slip on them.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Hanabi groans and Hinata grabs her sister's hand, leading her towards the Command Center of the castle.

That was easier said than done though. They were soon caught up in the middle of a battle between the palace guards and some Hyugas. Hinata and Hanabi watch in horror as more Hyugas and Inuzukas die.

"Should we help them?" The youngest princess asks.

"We can't help anyone if we are dead. Our main goal should be getting to the Inuzuka's Command Center." Hinata replies as they make a mad dash towards it.

Hinata quickly turns on the controls and prepares to cast a planet wide message. It was their only change. It was the only way that they would be able to reach everyone at once.

"ATTENTION! THIS IS PRINCESS HINATA AND HANABI! We demand that all fighting cease at once. We regret that we attacked you, but we were not in control. Some Gastropoda's took control of our bodies and forced us to order the att-" Hinata is cut off as an Inuzuka slams his fist into the controls.

It was at that moment, that the princesses knew that he was infected. That man had a slug inside him. The only way they were going to get out of this room alive, is if they killed him.

* * *

Elsewhere on the planet, Hiashi and Neji's eyes widen as they hear Hinata's voice over the Inuzuka emergency broadcast system. So that was why the princesses had ordered the attack.

"Do you think the fighting will stop now?" Neji whispers.

Hiashi looks around cautiously. It seemed that most people had frozen in shock when they heard Hinata's voice. He wasn't certain if that meant the fighting was over or if it was just the calm before the storm.

"I don't know, but I know one thing. We have to get to the Inuzuka castle. If the fighting hasn't been stopped, now every Inuzuka knows where Hinata and Hanabi are. They just put a target on their backs." He whispers in horror as the two of them take off.

The Hyugas bravely rush towards the castle. Hiashi winces as he notes the truly awesome amount of gore that covered the ground. He had been trained to fight in a war since birth, but reading about it and experiencing it were two completely different things. Truly, this was a nightmare.

"How do we know which one is the Command Center?" The younger Hyuga asks.

"Follow the Inuzuka guards. They will be heading towards Hinata and Hanabi. Whether or not they want peace or to kill them, they know where they are now." The King reasons.

Neji nods. He runs alongside his uncle. They had to hurry. For all they knew the princesses might already be dead They might have died during a valiant effort to stop a war.

He could only pray that wasn't the case. He couldn't imagine never seen the sweet smile on Hinata's face again or hearing Hanabi's laugh. They were the pride and joy of the Hyuga Royal Family. To lose them, would be utterly devastating.


	27. The Final Battle and Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle against Kaguya's minions take place and love is in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. A lot of loose ends will be tied up. ;)
> 
> Chapter Notation: Apparently, Haku's mother doesn't have a name. So I have just given her the name Amaya.
> 
> Indra's Family Tree: I decided that Indra will stay Kaguya's grandson in this story. I view Indra as being extremely distantly related to all the Uchiha brothers. This may or may not be cannon, but I would view them as even further estranged than the Uchihas and Hyugas in the show.

"Izuna, do you think you can manage to get us through the wormhole without killing us or should we take the scenic route?" Madara asks.

"And you call me, the foolish one? Of course, I can manage it. Though I do recommend you all strap yourselves down. With shattered ribs and your other injuries, the turbulence could worsen your injuries." He warns them and everyone rushes to do exactly that.

"Thank Kyuubi, that your crazy ancestors know how to fly a ship well." Naruto whispers to Sasuke.

Sasuke snorts in amusement. He really hoped that he wasn't going to meet anymore ancestors. Ironically, Madara and Izuna seemed almost harmless compared to Kaguya. He wasn't eager to see which branch of the family tree had won out. The perverted or the psychotic side?

"I heard that." Izuna chastises Naruto as they head off.

"I don't care. It's true. You know that you and Madara are both crazy. Don't even try to deny it." The prince laughs.

Gaara just shakes his head. He was grateful that his Mate was less boisterous than his friend. It was a miracle that they were all alive really.

"We'll be home soon. How badly do your injuries hurt?" Itachi whispers to his lover.

"I don't feel them at all, now that I know you are safe and you are laying next to me." The Kazekage admits truthfully.

"You're such a romantic." Itachi says with a smile and places a gentle kiss to his Mate's forehead.

Kisame glances at Kiba in concern. They had all taken a beating, but broken ribs were probably the worst of the injuries. He didn't have an opinion on Inuzukas one way or another, but Kiba was a comrade. He had fought by their side.

His straps left just enough flexibility to reach into his pocket and take out a small vial. He tosses it at Kiba. Thankfully, the canine alien was able to catch it.

"What's this?" He asks.

"It will speed up the healing process and dull the pain. I've had broken ribs before. They are a bitch to deal with. You fought well. You shouldn't have to suffer needlessly." The Akatsuki says.

"Oh wow. Thanks." Kiba says as he quickly downs the medication.

Madara sighs as he looks at his comrades. He was happy for his descendants, though he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. The odds of him and Izuna ever finding love again were pathetically low.

Oh well. It was a fairly long trip back to Konoha. He closes his eyes and comforts himself with his memories. In particular, the memory of his Mate's smile. He might have forgotten many things over the years, but that memory was just as crystal clear as if not a day had passed by since the last time he saw it.

"So Sasuke, do you think it's safe for us to have Hatchlings?" Naruto asks.

"What do you mean? Izuna had a child with a human woman. Obviously his daughter made it to adulthood without any problems. Our species appear perfectly genetically compatible." Sasuke answers in confusion.

"Well Madara is fucking crazy. Izuna is half crazy. And Kaguya was a psychotic bitch. I'm just saying that your family is full of semi crazy and psychotic people. Do you think that's genetic?" He asks teasingly.

"You are such a loser sometimes. They all lost their Mates. That's why they are crazy." Sasuke whispers lowly enough that he hoped Madara and Izuna didn't hear him.

They did hear him. Still they were kind enough to pretend they didn't. Izuna and Madara both grimace though.

Their descendant was defending them, but it was still a painful reminder. A painful reminder of what they lost. No matter how old you lived to be, you never forgot your first love.

"Once we get through the wormhole, there is a planet nearby with a stargate to Konoha. We can be there in just a little over two days." Izuna points out.

"Great!" Naruto cries out happily and everyone else sighs in relief at this knowledge.

* * *

Meanwhile Hiashi and Neji arrive outside the Command Center. They could hear Hinata and Hanabi inside. The two Hyuga men break down the door.

"Get away from my daughters!" Hiashi hisses at the Inuzuka.

"Uncle, don't kill him. He's not in control of himself. The Gastropoda is influencing him." Neji says as he darts in front of his cousins to protect them from the possessed canine.

Hiashi growls. It was hard to remember that, but Neji was right. This man wasn't in control of himself. He simply settles on knocking him out. Though he was honest enough to admit that he used more force than was strictly necessary.

The Inuzuka had been attacking his daughters after all. There was certain things that no man, regardless of species was going to tolerate. You didn't attack a man's kittens!

"Father! Cousin Neji!" Hinata and Hanabi exclaim as they hug their relatives tightly.

"Are you alright?" Neji asks.

"We took some injuries during the battle on the ship, but we will heal. We need to stop the fighting." Hanabi pants out.

Hiashi frowns. That was true. They had done the broadcast though. Now all they could do was wait to see if the Inuzukas would accept it. Well actually, he pauses as he looks at the controls.

"Can you get it working?" He asks Neji and his nephew nods.

"I believe so. What do you wish of me, my King?" The lavender eyed feline asks.

"Instruct all Hyugas to evacuate to the Stargate. For now, we shall make a tactical retreat. Reiterate our intention to cease all hostilities." He instructs the younger Hyuga.

Neji nods. He quickly configures the controls. The young Hyuga knew that they were only getting once chance at this. It was imperative that they not mess this up.

"ATTENTION! This is Neji Hyuga. All Hyugas are ordered to evacuate this planet immediately. The Gastropoda possessed our princesses and ordered the attack. Our quarrel is not with each other, but with the slugs." He yells into the controls.

"We have to hurry. Let's get to the stargate." Hiashi says as he grabs Hinata and races off with her.

Neji grabs Hanabi. He follows his uncle. He watches as they dash out of the castle and across the palace grounds. The Hyugas appeared rather dazed by the unexpected turn of events and were trying to retreat to the stargate.

The Inuzukas were mostly in shock. Some were still trying to continue fighting. But Hyugas had always had the advantage when it came to speed over their canine counterparts. The Inuzukas might be physically stronger, but it was a rare member of their species that could match the cats when it came to speed.

"Do you think it worked?" Hinata asks as they dart through the stargate.

"I think it worked. Though we will have to notify the other Allied Forces of what happened on this day. I doubt we have seen the last of the Gastropoda." The feline king reasons.

The gate teleports them to their home planet. Quickly the foursome scurry off to their own palace. Hiashi takes out his Allied Forces Communicator (AFC).

"King Minato, are you there? We must speak at once. It is most urgent." He calls into it desperately.

"I am here. What seems to be the issue?" The blonde king asks.

"It seems the Gastropoda abducted my daughters and forced them to launch an assault against the Inuzukas. There was a fearsome battle waged, that may still be ongoing. We broadcasted the truth over the system, but I don't know if the Inuzukas believed it or not. It would be best if you sent reinforcements immediately." He pleads.

Minato blinks. Damn it was worse than they thought. At least the Hyuga King was safe. This wasn't good.

"I shall send reinforcements immediately. Thankfully, there is a stargate connecting Konoha to the Inuzuka planet. They shall be there as soon as we can deploy them. Are you and your family safe?" Minato asks.

"My daughters, myself, and Neji are safe. I can not say the same for everyone on that planet though." Hiashi informs him.

"Good. I am going to send my Jinchuuriki warriors now. Do not fear. All will be well." He says and cuts the communication to do exactly that.

* * *

Not even an hour later, ten thousand Jinchuruikis arrived at on the embattled planet. They take to the air to assess the situation. They might be warriors, but they weren't stupid. It was always a good idea to get your bearings before charging into battle.

"If their goal was to cause a war, the Gastropoda certainly had a good plan. There must be thousands of bodies laying on the ground." One warrior notes.

"It looks like most of the Hyugas are heading towards the Stargate. Plenty of the Inuzuka area in shock, but others are trying to pursue them. They should know better than to chase cats." A second muses.

Temari looks down and blinks as she sees it wasn't just Jinchuuriki, Inuzukas, and Hyugas on the planet. Black Zetsus were arriving in large numbers.

"I think our primary goal should be to eliminate the Black Zetsus." She says.

"Right. Well they are plant people. ALRIGHT ANYONE WITH A FIRE ABILITY GATHER IN A GROUP AND ATTACK!" He calls out in a roar.

Those with a fire talent do as instructed. A barrage of fireballs is fired off at the Black Zetsus. Howls of pain could be heard. The Inuzukas and remaining Hyugas watch in horror.

The sounds of growls could be heard from the canines. They clearly didn't like the fact that their planet was being invaded twice. Instead of attacking the Hyugas, they focused their energies on charging towards the mysterious race.

Black Zetsus were well known as being an aggressive warlike race. Their counterparts, the White Zetsus, could occasionally be reasoned with. But not the warrior branch of the species.

"DIE!" A particularly large Inuzuka snarls as he slams his claws into one of them.

"Fan the flames!" Temari calls out to her other wind users as they dance across the sky, causing tornadoes to make the flames burn higher and brighter.

It would have been beautiful, if it wasn't for the anguished screams and the scent of burning vegetation. Not to be outdone, the other warriors quickly fire off their own attacks. Whether it was earth, lightning, ice, water, fire, wind, or more exotic abilities, they all launched in unison.

Thankfully, the Jinchuuriki warriors had all been trained to deal with an opposing army. They just hadn't actually had a chance to put their training into a real world battle before. Naturally, some of them wanted to show off.

"Oh Kyubbi, I'm surrounded by idiots." Temari says as she smacks her forehead and watches as some Jinchuuriki execute a series of dives before releasing their fireballs in a theatrical performance.

The fighting continues for hours. Hundreds of Jinchuuriki, Inuzukas, and Hyugas were injured. They quickly set about treating their injured allies. They had managed to defeat the Black Zetsus and currently those that were uninjured were celebrating by getting rather heavily intoxicated.

"Yes, we are definitely surrounded by idiots." Kankuro muses.

"You can say that again, brother." Temari agrees.

"Yes, we are definitely surrounded by idiots." Her sibling repeats and the feisty blonde gives him a dirty look.

"It's an expression, Kankuro. An expression!" She grumbles and shakes head in disbelief.

* * *

A few days later, the two sets of Uchiha brothers, Kisame, Kiba, Naurto, and Gaara arrive back on Konoha. By this point, their injuries had healed enough that they were able to limp back to the castle. Neither Izuna, nor Madara was particularly happy about the likely pitiful sight they all presented. Still they made it.

"Naruto!" Kushina cries out happily as she rushes to her son and embraces him.

Minato smiles. He quickly is at his Mate's side and joins her in embracing their son. Both Monarchs were so relieved when they saw that familiar crop of blonde hair.

"Mom! Dad! It's great to see you. Boy, do we have a story to tell you." Naruto exclaims.

The King blinks as he takes in the appearance of the rescue team and kidnapped brothers. All of them looked worse for wear. Yes, there was likely one Hell of a story to tell.

"We have a lot to tell you as well. You can go first though." Kushina says.

"I'll do it. I've always been better at summarizing. While we were on Sage, a BufoBufoian snatched Sasuke and Itachi. What we didn't know is that Sasuke was the target because Kaguya mistakenly believed that Sasuke was me. When we got to the planet where Itachi and Sasuke were being held, we encountered her. A battle ensued. We were able to defeat her and returned here. Thus you understand why our party is so injured. She was a difficult opponent to say the least." He explains.

Sasuke blinks. Izuna wasn't kidding about being good at summarizing. Damn he was good.

"Kaguya?! But she's far older than you and Madara. How was she still alive?" Minato asks in confusion.

"She was drinking from a magical pool. The waters were poisonous, if you did not have exceptional chakra control. But to someone like her, they blessed the drinker with eternal youth." Itachi steps in.

Kushina and Minato look at each other in concern. If that was true, was Kaguya really dead? She might have other tricks up her sleeve.

"We shoved her into the pool. Gaara covered her in sand to prevent her from leaving the waters. Sasuke set her on fire and Naruto fanned the flames. Izuna, myself, Kiba, and Kisame injured her previously as well. She did not go quietly. Sasuke and Gaara combined their attacks to bury her a mountain of volcanic rock. She was crushed to death. Kaguya didn't survive that. No one could have." Madara assures them.

"Good. Well it seems the Gastropoda possessed the Hyuga Princesses and forced them to attack Kiba's planet. Somehow, they were able to dispel the slugs and use the broadcast system to tell everyone what happened. King Hiashi escaped with the royal family back to his home and got in contact with us. We sent a force of our warriors and were able to sort it out. An army of Black Zetsus had arrived at the last moment, but they were defeated." The Queen explains.

Kiba's eyes widen. His planet had been attacked?! Hinata and Hanabi had been taken over by some evil slugs?!

"Where's Hianta?! Is she okay?!" He asks.

"She's fine. She's back on her home planet. If you wish to see her, feel free to take the stargate. I will not lie to you. Casualties were high, but she was not amongst them." Minato informs the Inuzuka.

"Thank God. I have to go. Hinata needs me." Kiba says as he rushes off towards the stargate.

"Good luck, Kiba!" Naruto calls out.

Gaara frowns. If the Zetsus had had attacked, they had likely been ordered to do so by Kaguya before her death. That meant that her network probably reached further than just the plant race and the slugs.

"We need to interrogate a Gastropoda immediately." Gaara says.

"Aoda captured a BufoBufoian. We were able to force the slug out. Once it knew that it's host's life was in danger, it tried to slink off. We caught it though and forced it to tell us everything. Thus we were able to retrieve the King of the Gastropodas and he has ordered his people to stand down." Minato explains.

"So I guess the moral of the story is, always try to hatch Serpentes eggs because Daddy Snake might end up saving the day?" Naruto asks cheerfully.

Sasuke shakes his head. He loved Naruto. He loved him more than anything. Sometimes though, he really could be an idiot.

"So it looks like a Galactic War may have been prevented. Seems like as good a time as any, really. Itachi do you want to try for a Hatchling?" Gaara asks.

Itachi blinks. He almost did a double take at that question. How the Hell did they go from discussing evil alien slugs to babies?!

"I think I missed a step or two somewhere between the Gastropoda and babies? But I would love to." Itachi says as he walks off arm and arm with Gaara towards the medical ward.

"I guess I'm going to be an uncle?" Sasuke asks.

"And a father, if I have anything to say about it. You don't want your brother to have kids before you, do you?" Naruto asks with a grin.

Sasuke considers that. Good point. He smirks and drags the blonde off towards the medical ward.

Kisame laughs. He shakes his head. Jinchuuriki could be a strange lot sometimes. Apparently, it was Hatchling season.

"Brother, did that really just happen? Izuna asks in amusement and Madara nods.

"I do believe that just happened. Let's get our injuries attended to and join the celebrations." Izuna says and heads off with Madara.

* * *

A few hours later, everyone was out enjoying the celebration. Madara smirks at Izuna. He gestures towards the sky where some Jinchuuriki were executing some rather intricate and daring dives.

"Madara, don't even think about it. You are too old to try such things. You're damn lucky that you didn't throw your back out while you were facing Kaguya. Let's not tempt fate again." Izuna says.

"Oh stop being such a scaredy cat." Madara says as he takes to the sky.

Izuna looks up at the sky, as if to ask why him? Why was he stuck with such a headstrong, foolish brother? Why couldn't Madera be more sensible? He sighs and follows the warrior up towards the clouds.

Madara joyously makes several gorgeous dives. Izuna sighs and shakes his head. He was going to have to catch his sorry tail fathers, if he threw out his back.

"It's good to see that your spirit hasn't dulled with age." Someone says to Madara.

He glances over to see who was talking to him. He blinks. It was Indra. He had heard of him of course, but he had never actually met the man. They were the same age. Indra was a great scholar though. They just hadn't flown in the same circles. A scholar that even after all these centuries still had the body of a warrior.

Those midnight blue feathers were in wonderful condition. He could have passed for 600, instead of 1000. The skin around his eyes was red. His hair had turned silver with age, but there were a few strands that still retained their original rich brown color.

"Uh oh. I know that look." Gaara muses as he stares up at the sky with his arms wrapped around Itachi.

"What look?" Itachi asks.

"The look of someone who just found their Mate. It's the same look that I had when I first met you." The red head observes.

"No way. Please tell me that Madara isn't Mates with Kaguya's grandson." Naruto says as he walks out with Sasuke, having over heard the conversation.

Gaara looks up again. Yes, there was certainly no mistaking it. He knew that lovestruck expression well. They were Mates.

"Kaguya's grandson?!" Sasuke and Itachi exclaim in outrage.

Fuck! Not another crazy ancestor! Wait if Madara was their ancestor and Kaguya was the ancestor of Indra, didn't that mean that Indra was related to Madara somehow?

"Wait. How is that possible? Aren't they from the same family tree?" Sasuke asks flabbergasted.

"There are a lot of generations separating them. Technically they aren't even from the same Clan. The Uchihas are descended from his Clan, but not a part of it." Gaara begins.

Sasuke and Itachi look a little skeptical of this explanation. Gaara merely shakes his head. Well it seemed further elaboration would be needed.

"They may share a drop or two of blood, but there are many generations separating them. I would barely consider them related. Besides, it's not as though men their age are going to try for Hatchlings. The taboo against familial love is mostly out of concerns for Hatchling health." The Kazekage finishes.

Sasuke just puts up his hands in an _I Give Up_ gesture. Madara was over a thousand years old. If he wanted to be with some distant relative, let him. Maybe if he got laid, he'd be less annoying.

"Whatever. Let's just go with it. I hope he's not as crazy as his grandmother. She was psychotic." He says.

Itachi nods his head in agreement. He certainly wasn't going to put up with a Kaguya 2.0. Fuck that shit, even he had his limits.

"You seem rather exasperated." A soft feminine voice calls from behind Izuna.

"Oh I am. My brother is over a thousand years old and wants to pretend like he's a teenager again." Izuna notes in amusement and turns around to look at who he was speaking to.

_Beautiful._ The woman was a beautiful Jinchuuriki that he estimated to be roughly around his age. Her snowy white feathers were in excellent condition though. She had long chocolate brown hair with several long strands of silver streaked through it. Her eyes one or two shades lighter than her hair. She had beautiful creamy skin and icy blue skin around her eyes.

"Yes, I could see why that would be frustrating. Some days, I admit to being glad that I am an only child." She says with a soft smile.

"I must admit there are days that I envy such a position. Though, I do love him. He just happens to be insane. That's all." Izuna says.

He didn't think that it was possible. Izuna had found two Mates in his lifetime. He especially didn't believe he would find one this late in life, but who was he to argue with nature?

"Oh boy. It looks like it's Date Night with the grandpas." Kisame notes in amusement as he looks up.

"You can't be serious." Sasuke asks as he glances towards Izuna.

"I guess it's only fair. I mean Madara found someone. Whose she?" Itachi asks.

"That's Amaya. She is from the Yuki Clan. That family is filled with ice users." Gaara explains.

The younger Uchiha brothers just look at each other and shake their heads. Well at least this one presumably wasn't related to their psychotic ancestor. That was progress. Maybe.

"Well she is pretty." Sasuke concedes with a sigh.

"Yes, she is in rather fine shape for a woman of that age." Itachi has to agree.

"Let's just hope they don't have a double wedding or something. Can you imagine what type of chaos Madara would put us through, if that happened?" Sasuke asks and Itachi laughs.

Well he laughed for a moment. Then his eyes widen when he processes what his brother suggested. Oh God, please no!

"You don't think they would actually do that, do you?" He asks nervously.

"I sure as Hell hope not." Sasuke replies and gulps as the younger set of Uchiha brothers contemplate this horrifying possibility.


	28. Everybody Loves a Happy Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Kiba get married as our favorite couples enjoy Mated Bliss. Oh and Tsunade's high heels might have saved the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy the grand finale of You're Beautiful and if you're interested, please feel free to check out my other stories.
> 
> Chapter Notation: This takes place six months after the last one. In case anyone was wondering, Jinchuuriki can only have one Mate at a time. However, if their Mate dies and assuming they survive it, they can find a second Mate later on. I think of them as similar to wolves in that respect. Monogamous, but if their Mate dies, they'll pair off with someone else. (Again assuming they can recover from their grief).

"Wow, they really went all out." Naruto observes at Hinata and Kiba's wedding.

It was truly a grand spectacle. The Inuzukas and Hyugas had all tried to outdo each other. The ironic thing is that only a few months before, the beautiful courtyard had been littered with thousands of bodies and the scene of horrifying carnage. Now it was like something straight out of a fairytale.

The skies were clear and the flowers were in full bloom. Sasuke had never seen such a brilliant floral display before. The sounds of what the youngest Uchiha assumed to be birds chirping, could be heard from nearby.

"I suppose they felt that they had to do so. After that horrible battle, the Hyugas and Inuzukas want to show that they are still allies and a marriage is one way to do that." Itachi muses.

Apparently, aliens sometimes got married. Jinchuuriki generally didn't bother, unless it was for political purposes. Once you had Marked your Mate, that was generally that. The younger Uchiha brothers were actually relieved that they weren't being put through such an elaborate wedding.

There was a grand silver fountain with a golden alter by it. Kiba was already waiting for his bride there. Naruto was his bestman. This meant Sasuke was standing only a few feet away form the Inuzuka by default.

There were tens of thousands of people packed in that courtyard. There had to be hundreds of species represented. Though Naruto did note that most were Inuzukas, Hyugas, or Jinchuuriki. Still many other members of the Allied Forces had sent at least a few representatives to witness the momentous occasion.

"She's so cute!" The crowd calls out as Hanabi comes prancing across the courtyard, throwing flowers everywhere.

Yes, the youngest princess was the flower girl. She looked absolutely adorable in her lavender dress and furry tail swaying happily. The Hyuga woman took her flower girl duties very seriously. By the end of her little procession, Naruto was sure that hundreds of people had gotten at least one flower stuck in their hair.

Speaking of cute, Itachi glances down at the squirming bundle in his arms and smiles. His son was truly adorable, as was his niece. He couldn't help but remember the day that they both hatched, with a smile as they waited for the bride to walk down the aisle.

_"Naruto! Naruto! Come quick! The egg is moving!" Sasuke cried out._

_Soon enough, Itachi also called out to his Mate. Their egg had moved as well. Truly, it was only a matter of time before they would hatch._

_The youngest Uchiha brothers and their Mates had visited the nursery every day without fail. They were all male, so they couldn't get pregnant. Thanks to advanced alien technology though, they could still have children. They just had to leave the eggs in the nursery, where the proper temperature controls and monitoring could take place._

_The prince and Kazekage came rushing in almost immediately after they heard their Mates cry out for them. Naruto and Gaara both watched in awe as the eggs swayed from side to side. Clearly, the hatchlings inside had begun to wiggle around in an attempt to free themselves._

_"Do you think it's going to be a boy or a girl?" Naruto asked Sasuke excitedly._

_"A girl. Our egg is rather soft shade of blue. Feminine." Sasuke told him._

_"Sasuke, that's ridiculous. Egg color has nothing to do with gender. The shade of color certainly doesn't either." Naruto said with a laugh._

_Gaara chuckled at their bickering as he watched his own egg with anxious eyes. The red head noted that it was wiggling even more now. Their egg was red._

_"I'm guessing that our first Hatchling will be a son." He mused._

_Both couples had decided they wanted to be surprised. They could have known the gender(s) before the Hatching Day, but that would take all the fun out of it in their minds. Each of the foursome thought that they knew what gender(s) the children were going to be._

_Sasuke and Naruto's child was the first to hatch. A tiny hand punched its way out of the blue egg. After a few moments a baby emerged completely from the shell. For Sasuke and Naruto it was love at first sight._

_"You're beautiful." Naruto said proudly as he scooped up the new Princess of Konoha._

_"That's what you said to me the first time you saw me and I was right. We have a daughter." Sasuke smiles smugly.  
_

_"Well it was true then and it's true now. Yeah, you were right." Naruto said with a smile._

_The Jinchuuriki-human hybrid was about six pounds of adorableness. She had Sasuke's raven black hair and Naruto's sapphire blue eyes. She also had inherited the blonde's whisker like markings on her cheeks. The skin surrounding her eyes was red and she had royal blue wings. There was no tail or talons though. Her human genes must have won out there._

_"Well at least it's going to be less traumatic if she ever breaks a nail." Sasuke observed in amusement._

_"Itachi! Our baby is hatching!" Gaara stares in awe.  
_

_It was true. Perhaps not even five minutes after the first Hatchling was born, another hand punched its way out of the egg. Itachi smiled and scooped up the baby._

_This time it was about seven pounds of utter cuteness. This baby had Gaara's red hair and Itachi's smoky gray eyes. His wings were pure white like Gaara's and he had a midnight blue tail. Otherwise he looked almost exactly like Itachi. No talons or face markings though._

_"He's perfect." Gaara said happily and Itachi nodded in agreement as he cuddled his family._

_"What should we name her?" Naruto asked his Mate._

_"Aina. It means love, affection, vegetables, and greens. Either way its means something that will grow and she'll definitely do that. She's so tiny." Sasuke mused and kissed her forehead._

_"Princess Aina. I like it. It works." The blonde agreed._

_Itachi paused. Hmm. They would have to come up with a name for their son. What would be a good name?_

_"I think that Asahi is suitable. It means morning or sunlight. He was hatched in the morning after all." Gaara suggested._

_"Yes, I think that will work nicely." Itachi said as he gave his stamp of approval._

_It didn't take long for Madara, Izuna, the King and Queen, and Gaara's family to show up. Everyone spent hours fawning over the newborns. Asahi and Aina seemed to rather enjoy the attention actually. Itachi suspected they were likely to become the most spoiled Hatchlings on Konoha at this rate, but he didn't mind._

"She's beautiful." Konan calls out from the crowd.

King Minato and Queen Kushina had pardoned the woman's Mate. Pein hadn't been in control of himself. Besides, without her help, they might never have found out what was really going on.

So the blue haired woman was sitting next to her Mate. It was a day of smiles. Everyone was eager to put the horrors of the past behind them.

"Yes, she is. Kiba is certainly a lucky Inuzuka." Pein agrees and kisses Konan's cheek.

"And I am a very lucky Jinchuuriki. It is so nice to have you back, my love." She whispers.

Hinata was truly a vision. She wore a gown that was made of a creamy white silk fabric. The gown seemed to flow for miles and accented her curves nicely. Sasuke couldn't help but think the cat ears and tail were cute, but the cuteness of the Hyugas would never be a match for the feral sexiness of the Jinchuurikis in his mind.

"Dearly, beloved. We are gathered here today, to witness the union of Princess Hinata of the Hyugas and Prince Kiba of the Inuzukas. Only a few months ago, this place was a scene of horrific tragedy. Today, it shall mark the dawning of a new era between our two species. Let us forget the unpleasantness of the past and seal our stronger alliance with this match. If there is anyone who has any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace." A Hyuga man asks. (Sasuke assumed he was their version of a preacher or priest.)

Itachi shoots Madara a warning look. He knew his ancestor. The man seemed to delight in causing scenes.

Madara has the gall to up his hands in an _I'm innocent_ gesture. Even his Mate rolls his eyes at that one. The elder scholar kisses Madara's cheek and whispers something into his ear that made the warrior behave. Itachi wasn't sure what he said, but he was grateful that it worked.

"It's truly a beautiful day for a wedding." Izuna murmurs with a smile as he intertwines his fingers with Amaya.

"Yes, it is. It's such a relief to know that Kaguya's plans didn't come fruition after all." She offers and Izuna nods in agreement.

Izuna had told his Mate everything. He would have no secrets from her. He assumed that Madara had done the same with Indra, but had never asked. It had been a long time since either brother had been so happy and he wasn't about to ruin it, by being too nosey.

"Excellent. Do you Kiba take Hinata to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold? For richer and for poorer? In good times and in bad? In sickness and in health? And to swear to forsake all others, until death do you part?" The feline inquires.

"I do." Kiba replies without any hesitation.

Hinata smiles. She was so relieved that Kiba was alright. The princess had suspected the worst, when she realized his planet had been attacked. Now they were getting married and the misunderstandings had been sorted out. All would be well now. (Well she hoped anyway.)

"Do you Hinata take Kiba to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold? For richer and for poorer? In good times and in bad? In sickness and in health? And to swear to forsake all others, until death do you part?" The preacher continues.

"I do." The Hyuga woman replies with a smile.

"Wonderful. Then by the power vested in me by our King and the Allied Forces, I pronounce thee man and a wife. You may kiss the bride." He instructs cheerfully.

Kiba didn't hesitate to do exactly that. There were some rather loud catcalls, once people saw how passionately he kissed his bride. Hinata blushes, but happily returns the kiss.

Sasuke smiles down at his daughter and turns on his Allied Forces Communicator (AFC.) It didn't take long to get a response from Tsunade. Earth was the newest member of Izuna's organization. (Though it was on a probationary basis.)

"Sasuke?" Tsunade asks.

"Good evening, Madam President. We are currently attending a royal wedding. I thought you might like to see this. It's truly beautiful and that it would be a good idea to check in." Sasuke says as he moves the AFC around like a video camera.

Tsunade blinks. Sasuke wasn't kidding. It was truly a magnificent fight. It was straight out of a fantasy novel or something.

"Well that is gorgeous. Things are going well here. How are things on Konoha or wherever you are?" She asks.

"Quite well. Aina is thriving." Sasuke says as he hovers the AFC over his daughter.

The busty blonde had to admit that Aina was fucking adorable. Who knew that hybrid alien babies would be so cute?

"Yes, I can see that. I'm very happy for you. So she's completely healthy then? Humans and Jinchuuriki can have children together without any negative health outcomes for the offspring?" The President inquires curiously

"Yeah. Our daughter in perfect health!" Naruto exclaims happily, when he realizes what Sasuke was doing.

"That's good news. Things are going well here. I must admit that our scientists are very eager to learn more about all these new species." She continues.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He wasn't entirely certain that Earth was ready to deal with the fact that they weren't alone. The average person would likely be terrified, want to dissect the aliens, or fight them.

Well there would also be those who had childlike wonder and would be happy about it, of course. He just didn't know which of those two groups were larger. Sasuke wasn't particularly eager to find out.

"You haven't told the general public about us yet, have you?" Gaara asks as he walks to join the conversation.

"Of course not. Most of them would think it was as hoax and the ones that would listen, well most of them aren't ready." The blonde says as if offended that the Kazekage suggested that.

The Mated pairs sigh in relief at that knowledge. Good. They all knew that humans simply weren't ready to hear the truth.

"Say hello to the President, Asahi." Itachi smiles at his son and shows him off to Tsunade.

"Oh he's very cute. I have to admit that when I pictured alien-human hybrids, I didn't expect them to be so adorable." Tsunade confesses.

She gets the dirty look from all the parents. How dare she entertain the possibility that their hatchlings would be anything other than perfect? Hmpf!

"Oh are those the Hatchlings? I want to see!" Aoda says as he slithers over to them.

The giant snake had managed to get an invitation to the wedding. Hinata was rather grateful to him for capturing the BufoBufoian and forcing the truth out of that Gastropoda. Of course, there were many guests who were a little skittish about Aoda's presence, but the enormous reptile didn't seem to mind.

Sasuke looks at Naruto for a moment. The blonde gives a nod of permission. He smiles and walks over to Aoda, showing off Aina.

"She's beautiful and she resembles you so strongly. The princess definitely has Naruto's eyes though. Oh and she has his facial markings." The Serpentes observes.

"That she does." Sasuke agrees.

Aoda soon was also fawning over Asahi. Who knew that giant snakes were so baby crazy? It was almost like watching a giant golden retriever greet a child.

"How is Daisuke doing?" Izuna asks awkwardly, as the elder Uchihas and their Mates make their way over to their friends and family members.

"He's doing wonderfully. I have never seen a Hatchling grow so fast." Aoda smiles proudly.

Izuna nods. He did feel rather guilty about accidentally crushing those eggs. If he had know what they were, he never would have landed there. He glances at Madara and could tell he felt it too.

"We are both terribly sorry for what we did. Truly, we had no idea." He says.

"It's in the past. We will always mourn them of course, but you didn't do it intentionally. All those centuries we thought your kind were monsters. Baby killers. We were wrong. It was all just a tragic accident." Aoda sighs.

"Well let's stop moping around. Today, is a happy day." Kisame says with a grin and tickles Aina's belly.

Aina giggles madly. The blue faced man did this a lot. She gums on his fingers. The Hatchling didn't have any teeth yet, so the Akatsuki found this endlessly amusing.

"Oh yeah. She's a fighter. I'd be shocked if she wasn't a warrior. Did you get her tested yet?" He asks.

Sasuke nods. They had gotten her tested. Itachi and Gaara had also tested their son. The results had been interesting.

"She's 40% warrior, 40% scholar, and 20% nurturer." Naruto says proudly.

"Those are remarkably balanced genes." Indra notes in amusement.

"Of course. She comes from a very strong line. Well two strong lines actually." Madara says proudly as he leans into his Mate's embrace.

Indra smiles. It was truly a marvel to watch the fearsome warrior, turned into a proud uncle like figure. Though there were many greats separating Aina and Asahi from the elder Uchiha brothers, they were both very proud of their family.

"Yes, she does." Indra agrees and kisses his cheek.

"As for Asahi, he is 40% warrior, 30% ruler, and 30% scholar." Itachi adds.

Amaya blinks. Yes, a very well balanced family indeed. It was rare to see such evenly divided traits. She smiles and tilts her head up just enough to kiss Izuna.

"You should be very proud of your beautiful family." The ice user says.

"I am extremely proud." Izuna says after returning his gorgeous Mate's kiss.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the wedding party, Danzo had escaped. He had managed to get in an emergency pod, when the Hyuga sisters gained control of the ship. He had programmed it to take him to the nearest planet.

Unfortunately, emergency pods tended to be much slower than their ships after a short speedy initial launch. They zoomed fast for a short period. Just long enough to get out of the danger zone.

After that, they slowed down considerably. The pods were designed to travel long distances to get to a safe planet and to save on fuel, they traveled at a much slower rate than most other vessels. Finally though, he lands on a mysterious planet.

"Computer, where are we?" He asks as the pod lands.

"We are on a planet called Earth. The atmosphere is compatible with your physiology. The dominant species are known as humans. There is much on this planet that would be edible." Came the reply.

"Excellent." Danzo says as he slinks out of the pod and begins exploring the new planet.

Somehow he ends up in a very large white building. He had no idea where he actually was. He figures that he was in some sort of office.

That's when he overheard a human speaking and saw an AFC. How was that possible?! This planet was far away from any of the Allied Forces. How the Hell did this female have an Allied Forces Communicator?!

"Oh he's very cute. I have to admit that when I pictured alien-human hybrids, I didn't expect them to be so adorable." The human female says.

Danzo assumed she was female. The creature had to be female. Look at the size of those breasts!

That's when he frowns. She had said alien-human hybrids. Not only had this planet established contact with other aliens, but they had managed successful interspecies Matings?!

"Can I see, Madam President? I must admit that I am very curious to see the children." Orochimaru asks.

"Oh of course." Tsunade says as she hands Orochimaru the AFC.

Orochimaru smiles. He looks at the screen and gasps. They were magnificent.

He couldn't regret his choice now. Honestly, the scientist did miss his friend, but he would do it again in a heartbeat. The scientific value of these children could not be overstated! Kabuto had been sacrificed for the greater good.

In the months following the Uchiha brothers leaving Earth, he had gradually grown closer to the President. She valued his scientific expertise. He was now a part of her Inner Circle and privy to communications between Konoha and Earth.

"They are amazing." He breathes in awe.

"Yes, they are. I am still a bit miffed that they left without more notification, but I can hardly argue with the results. Everyone loves a happy ending." The busty blonde replies.

Danzo's eyes widen. Yes, there definitely was at least one interspecies Mating going on, possibly more. He had to get out of here and quickly. If they knew about other alien species, they might recognize him.

"That's true. Would you like me to get us some more coffee?" Orochimaru asks.

"Yes, that would be nice. Thank you." She says with a smile and watches as the scientist heads off.

Danzo saw the door open. This was his one chance to escape towards freedom! He rushes towards it.

Well he rushed towards it as much as you could when you were a two or three inch long slug. Admittedly, this wasn't very fast in practical terms. Tsunade stretches and heads towards her bookcase to get out her journal.

She was going to take some more notes about the hybrids and the wedding. Her "scientific journal" was on that bookshelf. One day, she was sure that it would become a valuable historical firsthand account of everything. What she didn't know, is that the bookshelf was by the door and that an alien slug was heading towards said door.

SQUISH. Tsunade blinks and looks down. She raises up her shoe and makes a face. Yuck. She had stepped on a slug.

"Damn it. I'm going to need a new pair of shoes." She mutters in annoyance, just as Orochimaru was coming in.

"Why would you need a new pair of shoes?" Orochimaru asks.

"Oh I stepped on a slug. Oh well. I didn't really care for those shoes anyway. Thanks for the coffee." She says as she takes her drink.

Little did Tsunade know, that she had just killed Danzo. She had just taken out one of the most infamous Gastropoda in the universe. The President had done so armed only with a pair of high heels.

"I can always give you one of my extra pairs. I do believe we wear the same size." Kushina says through the AFC.

"That would be lovely. I am most eager to try out your people's fashion." Tsunade replies.

Kushina and Minato had come over to the group. Both the King and Queen wanted to see what was holding everyone's attention. Once they realized that Sasuke was just showing wedding pictures to Tsunade, they were eager to join in the fun.

"Honestly, women. They find out that a new species exist and the first thing they want to do is talk about shoes." Kankuro mutters, as he, Temari, and Shikamaru walk over to them.

Temari twitches. She whacks Kankuro upside the head for that one. Sometimes he could be really annoying.

"What a drag. You should know better than to get between shoes and women. Doesn't matter what their species is." Shikamaru says with a yawn.

* * *

Itachi shakes his head and smiles down at his son. It was a strange new life that he and Sasuke had found themselves in. Strange, but beautiful. He would never regret leaving Earth behind. Otherwise, he would never have Asahi and Gaara as his Mate. Sasuke wouldn't have Naruto and Aina either.

"Well I do believe this is a party. Let's all go have some Ramensa." Aoda says happily.

"Wait. You know about Ramensa?" Naruto asks, surprised that the snake knew about the Konohaian wine.

"Of course. Who doesn't? It's very good stuff." The massive snake replies as if it was obvious that he would know about such things.

"Alright. Serpentes still look like talking dicks, but at least they are talking dicks with good taste in wine." Madara says cheerfully.

Aoda whacks Madara for that comment. The giant snakes gives him a dirty look. Honestly, the man had no manners!

"And certain Jinchuuriki have no manners, but at least they are useful to have around in a fight." He mutters.

"Well he's got you there." Sasuke snickers.

"Oh shut up!" Madara grumbles.

Sasuke shakes his head. He leads Naruto to dance. The other couples soon follow suit. The many aliens all spent the rest of the night dancing the night away or enjoying Ramensa. (Lots and lots of Ramensa actually.)

Thankfully, Aoda didn't mind watching the hatchlings as the couples danced. Aoda smiles. He introduces the children to his youngest son Daisuke. Daisuke immediately fell in love with the two little aliens. There was no better guard dog than a Serpentes really.

"You're still beautiful." Naruto whispers to Sasuke.

"You are just trying to butter me up because you are hoping that I'll ask Aoda to watch them, while you fluff my brains out." He mutters.

"Well yeah, but it's still true." Naruto says with a grin and Sasuke shakes his head in amusement.

Gaara spins his Mate around. Itachi was always such an elegant dancer. Everything about his Mate was graceful, he muses.

"I love you." The red head says.

"I love you too. Do you think it's a good idea to use a giant snake as a babysitter?" He asks.

"I don't see why not. Stranger things have happened. One of my best friends is an Akatsuki." He replies with a shrug and Itachi nods in agreement.

The elder couples were also dancing. Izuna and Madara both smile at their Mates. They couldn't believe that it had happened again. They had both found love twice.

"We waited a thousand years for both of you." Izuna begins as he caresses his Mate's cheek.

Amaya smiles. Izuna could be such a romantic. It was one of his best qualities really. (Well that and his lovely feathers. Really they were in fantastic shape for his age!)

"I do hope we were worth the wait." She says as she leans into his touch.

Madara smirks. Oh they were most certainly worth the wait. He had no problem informing them of that.

"You were both worth the wait. You exceeded our expectations in every conceivable way." He says as he kisses Indra.

Indra smiles and kisses back. Yes, Madara had a very dirty mouth. But he was also a very loving Mate. He couldn't ask for more.

"I'm certain that I speak for both of us, when I say that we are very happy to hear that." He whispers and Amaya nods in agreement.

Naruto smiles as he dances with Sasuke. It was really the perfect night. He wondered if Aoda really would babysit for them.

"Is it working though? The buttering up thing?" He asks hopefully.

"Oh it's definitely working. Mostly because I love you, but it's also cute when you think you are being sneaky." Sasuke admits.

"I love you too and yay!" The blonde says as he walks over to Aoda.

"Hey, Aoda. Would you mind watching the kids for tonight?" The prince asks hopefully.

"Oh I don't mind at all. Have fun. I wish you a pleasurable day of coupling." The snake says cheerfully.

The Jinchuuriki all rub the back of their heads sheepishly. No one was really sure how to respond to that. How did you respond to a giant snake telling you that he hoped you got **_lucky?_**

"Thank you, Aoda. You are a very good friend." Sasuke says with a smirk and leads his Mate off.

Oh so that's how you respond to it. The other couples follow Sasuke's lead. Soon enough they had all whisked their most precious person away for some very thoroughly enjoyed alone time. Jinchuurikis were nothing, if not very attentive Mates.


End file.
